Spiritual Bonds
by AspieWriter
Summary: Jaden Yuki has put up with years of abuse, now he has a chance to escape and start anew. But people know who he is and greed makes them hunger for his powers. Please don't judge me to horribly, this is my first fan-fic. Rated T for violence and horror.
1. The Beggining

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or any of the cards in this chapter. _

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

The Beginning

Jade took one last look at her son before handing him to the elders. It was the 31st October 2005. Her son was born at 7pm, only for him to be taken at midnight by the elders. Jade could never tell her husband, Henry, the truth about their son. That he was a special boy, was all her husband knew.

Jade knew her son was the one. When the nurses had handed him to her, he had opened his eye, which turned a golden colour, before turning blue again and he had closed his eyes. Jade had already decided on a name. Taking out a mobile, she dialled Henry's number.

Henry was on a business trip, but he answered on the first ring.

_"Henry Yuki speaking__.__" _

"Henry it _is _a boy. You have a son," said Jade.

_"On Halloween!"_

"Oh Henry don't start that again. Look, we'll name him Jaden, see; I can be common." Jade knew her husband had a distrust of anything supernatural. He was always going to church yet his wife remained at home, completing her family's ancient rituals. She had told her husband that the child would be touched by God. That was all she need do, in order to calm Henry.

Henry seemed to take a while on the phone; at last he gave his wife his blessing. Jade continued to say she would be taking Jaden to her people. Henry said it would be okay, but only if his son was baptized as well. With an agreement that the boy would be baptized when Henry returned, Henry hung up.

That was what led to this meeting. Jaden was the one and there wasn't much time. The elders placed him on a stone table. Speaking in an ancient language, the ritual had begun:

_Ancient blood runs through thee,_

_Power courses through thy veins,_

_Bless this child,_

_For he is our hope, our dreams, our love,_

_The Supreme King is reborn!_

Then an elder placed a hot poker into the flames of a campfire. When the poker became cherry red, he began the process of branding the child with the mark of the phoenix. The child never stirred from its slumber. When the ritual was over, the brand turned black and Jaden's eyes opened, was again going from blue, to gold, to blue again.

~ 5 Years Later ~

Jaden awoke to the sound of his mother's voice. He looked at the end of his bed to see a small box with a little bow on top. Today was his birthday and he knew what the box was for. Opening the box, he looked inside to see a dual monsters card: Yubel.

Jaden loved duelling; he had beaten pros at the age of three. Yet he had a secret: ever since he could remember he had seen transparent people and monsters. He had asked mother about them and she told him not to tell his father, that he was special and was granted abilities he had to keep secret. Jaden did not listen to her at first and had paid a terrible price: kids at school teased him about his 'imaginary friends'; they were already bullying him for his phoenix burn. The burn had been there since he could remember and he never asked how he got it.

His father told him that the kids were only jealous of his god given gift. Of course he didn't know his son could see and hear spirits, but he knew about the duelling… and the school reports. Jaden sighed: everything he did, he did perfectly. When he got his reports he hid them from everybody, but his school got wise and sent them through mail.

Now Jaden was five, which meant he was old enough to take tests. Not good. Oh well, at least the only ones who would know were the staff and his parents. He tried to fail, but something strange told him not, it was like his whole body was against failing.

Suddenly Yubel's card glowed and the monster on the card's picture appeared next to Jaden, smiled at him and then disappeared.

_Wonder what that was about, _thought Jaden.

~ 2 Years Later ~

Jaden had been duelling a close friend and somehow that friend was now in the hospital in a coma. Henry was furious when he heard Jaden's side of the story. Apparently the boy believed that Yubel thought his friend was a threat, to protect Jaden; she attacked.

"This is the third person this week Jaden. All either in comas or with slashed throats. You should know better, you spawn of Satan. We have tried an exorcism, we have tried everything, but now it is apparent that that card is a danger, once I have gotten rid of it, I will deal with you," screamed Henry.

Jaden shrank into the wall as his father took his beloved Yubel and walked off with her. Yubel appeared with tears in her eyes. Jaden knew she did not mean harm; she just wanted to protect him. But he would never be able to convince his father. His father had forced him to do things he didn't want for as long as he could remember.

Even though he was baptized, Jaden did not believe in the Christian religion. It had always seemed a bit silly to him: if forcing people to attend church and beating people to the ground because they were different to others was the way of God, then that would make God a bully. Jaden did believe in a greater force, but he preferred the way of the People of the Flamed Phoenix, his mother's people. Jaden had attended every single one of their rituals: he shared a bond with nature and all things pure, he made sure to love and respect all those who were good hearted, even if they weren't, he made it his mission to never harm them unless necessary. Sometimes, at the rituals, his eyes changed colour: from brown, to gold, to brown again. He never told anybody, for fear of being attacked.

Jaden's dual monster spirits and his mother were the only ones who understood him. The spirits were the only ones who knew about his eyes though. His mother would often over hear them talking to each other. It was apparent he could see spirits at birth: in the hospital, where Jaden was born, an elderly man passed away. The nurses had told Jade that this man loved to eat oranges. In his crib, Jaden saw the man. Suddenly the nurses screamed as an orange floated out of a fruit bowl on Jade's bedside cabinet, right next to Jaden whose eyes were staring at the orange and glowing bright gold. Jade knew her son had seen the man and had read his mind to see that he had enjoyed oranges.

Whenever Jaden duelled, his opponents usually complained of real battle damage. His powers of telepathy and telekinesis were growing stronger. Sometimes he could tell the future as well, his dreams sometimes became real: One time he dreamt of a student he disliked being brutally murdered he had never met, next day the dream happened exactly. Sometimes he complained to his spirits about having a normal life, but then he learned to count his blessings. He was sure there were others like him. He just had to learn to be patient.

Yugi Motu was his duelling hero. Jaden always watched his duals, he had three posters of Yugi in his room and he had memorized Yugi's entire deck. Yet he knew that Yugi was more than just a role model, he was hero and had a good heart too. Though Yugi was his hero, Jaden knew even he would not know what to do in this situation. He just watched as his father took away his beloved Yubel, and prepared himself for the years of torture.

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><p>Jaden was fourteen now. Old enough to fulfil to a dream to attend the greatest school ever built: Dual Academy. Only problem was he was running late for the entrance exam.<p>

Making sure that his clothing covered his arms, legs, back and stomach, Jaden ran downstairs and out the door before his father returned from church. His mother was waiting at the exam hall for him. Jaden had gotten the highest score on the exam paper, but he had asked the chancellor to put him in the lowest dorm and tell no-one of his marks. The chancellor was very curious about Jaden; he had learned about Jaden's history from his mother and had promised to keep his powers and marks secret, if Jaden could.

However Jaden's duelling skills were not something that could be kept secret. The years of abuse had taught his some control over his telepathy and telekinesis, but had not taught how to fail at anything. Sports, academics, he had acceded at them all.

Now this was all going to change, because the chancellor had promised that the staff would treat like a regular kid. The pendent his mother gave him was bonus too.

Before arriving he had made a crashing encounter with his duelling hero, who had given him a card before wishing him luck.

Arriving at the exam hall, Jaden just managed to sign in and reported to his appropriate field. He could not believe who he was supposed to be duelling: a teacher. Except that no-one else had to, apparently the teacher had heard about him on the news and wanted to see if the rumours were true. Apparently Dr Crowler had a PhD in Duelling and that made him the best.

"Well son, let's get to it! Test time," said Crowler

Jaden sighed, looking down he whispered, "Alright, get your game on teacher." Praying to the Goddess of protection, Sheeri, Jaden activated his dual disk.

_**Jaden: 4000 LP**_

_**Crowler: 4000 LP**_

"I'll go first." Crowler drew his card and added it to his five cards, before making his decision, "I play the spell card Confiscation, now I can take one of your cards at the cost of 1000 life points and I choose… monster reborn."

_**Crowler: 3000 LP **_

Looking at his deck, Jaden smiled and then drew his card. Crowler did not know how this battle was going to end.

Suddenly there was a huge cloud of black smoke. The audience never saw the ending of the dual. Once the smoke cleared, Crowler was welcoming Jaden to dual academy, the teacher's life points at 0.

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><p><em><span>This is the first chapter, please read and review. <span>_

_May your soul remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	2. Attacked

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Attacked

Jaden was so excited; he was finally going to dual academy. Yet he was afraid, he had used his powers in front of the school, even though he had the pendant. Jaden worried that his powers were growing stronger, yet his monsters had no idea how to help him. The only one who knew was Yubel, but she was in outer space along with the neo-spaciens that had been created for him by Kaiba Corp.

Jaden knew that many were wondering what had happened in the thick black smoke. He didn't feel the need to answer them, they would never understand. He was happy that he would wear one of his favourite colours: he would be in the Slifer Red dormitory. Apparently the chancellor thought it would be a perfect opportunity to give the Slifer's something to look up to and improve their grades. Jaden's were perfect.

This was the thing that made Jaden worry the most, but his mother insisted that he had nothing to fear, his secrets were all safe. Jaden wanted a fresh start, not keeping his father's pockets lined. Henry had been forcing his son to compete in all sorts of competitions, only to take the prize money, for his own greed.

Jaden watched the Dual Academy Island approaching them. When they had docked, he jumped of the boat, already in his uniform. Running to the school, he freed his spirits in the hall, increasing his speed. He didn't stop until he reached the chancellor's office.

"Jaden, you have arrived, I am so glad," said a voice from the chancellor's chair.

Jaden looked to see a man sitting behind the desk: Chancellor Shepard.

"Jaden I know that you are scared, but you needn't be. You do not have to attend the welcome ceremony, I have already made arrangements, but you have to attend the Slifer welcome dinner. As I hear from your mother, you have even avoided meals for days, because you are afraid of people. There is nothing to fear here. Please attend the meal won't you?"

Jaden knew he had nothing to fear, "Yes sir," he said.

Jaden hurried to the Slifer dorms; he wasn't surprised to find them empty. After washing up, he headed towards the cafeteria. The place was packed in less than an hour, yet no-one was sitting next to Jaden. He didn't blame them.

Yet as he was eating his fried shrimp, a boy named Syrus sat next to him.

"Hi, I'm Syrus. I know you want to be alone, but there is no-where else to sit, so um, I guess I'm stuck here. Don't hurt me!"

Jaden looked up, "Why would I do that?"

"Oh! Because everyone says that you have powers and that you like to be alone and that you hurt people and that-"

"Well they're right about the power thing, but I would never hurt anyone and I don't like being alone."

"But-"

"Rumours."

"Oh, okay then."

"I'm Jaden Yuki by the way, sorry for the scare, it just happens, it was supposed to stop but it didn't."

Jaden knew that the boy was just scared, just like everyone else was. It didn't take away the pain or the loneliness. He caught a glimpse of everyone staring at him. He didn't like that. Closing his eyes, he got up and left to go up to his room. It had been a long night.

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><p>The next morning Jaden did not feel any better. Once he was dressed, he walked over to his deck and placed his hand over it.<p>

"It's been real tough guys."

"You talk to your cards?"

"Ah!"

Syrus and a boy named Hassleberry were looking at him from their beds. Jaden thought he was alone.

Jaden recovered from his shock and spoke up, "Uh, yeah. Sorry, I thought I was alone. I talk to my cards because they were the only friends I had. They still are. By the way, I thought you two were in Ra."

Syrus looked at Hassleberry.

"We were serge. But then we heard of the legendary duellist who was coming to the Slifer dorm, so we decided to set up headquarters here."

"Yeah," said Syrus.

"Who's the duellist?"

"Uh, you."

"What, Sy you're nuts!"

"No, I'm not"

"Great, I wanted a fresh start and yet people still remember the past. I'm dangerous or legendary, I'm just here to learn, make new friends and have fun and duel."

"Oh."

Jaden was annoyed by this conversation, grabbing his deck he stormed outside. He noticed the beach and ran towards it. He had always loved the ocean. His mother used to perform the ancient, Makahiyma ritual on beaches with him. Jaden smiled at the memory, he wondered how his mother was doing... and his father.

Jaden sighed, he knew what his father felt towards him, it was understandable, but did he have to make his son's life hell.

Jaden looked out to the ocean, lost in his thoughts.

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><p>"I understand, but I can't allow you to see Jaden," said Chancellor Sheppard.<p>

"Why not, he is my son, God be my witness," said Henry

"My answer is no."

Henry was furious. He had wanted his son to continue in the pro-leagues, but Jaden had disappointed him yet again. Fine! Jaden knew the rules and now he was going to pay for breaking them.

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><p>Syrus and Hassleberry were walking up a short forest trail. They were looking for Jaden, he still hadn't returned and Professor Banner, the head of the Slifer dorm, had said it was compulsory for Jaden to see him after lessons.<p>

When they reached the beach, they thought that maybe Jaden had gone down there to cool off. What they saw was enough to cause nightmares for a month.

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><p><em><span>Thank you for reading, sorry this is a little short, please review. <span>_

_The next one will be up soon._

_May your soul remain in your heart,_

_AspieWriter_


	3. Comatose

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

Comatose

Jaden was just lying there, on the hospital bed having been found by Syrus and Hassleberry battered and bruised. He was hooked to up to all sorts of machines and was currently in a coma.

Alexis Rhodes was the Queen of the Obelisks; she was sitting by Jaden's side watching the steady rise and sink of his chest.

_At least he's breathing. _She thought. _I know t__hat it was Henry but you can't let him win._ _Please wake up Jay._

No-one knew how she knew Jaden. An Obelisk knowing a Slifer was unheard of, unless it was a family tie. But Alexis did not know him through family. She knew him from past experience.

A past she had promised to tell no-one of.

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><p><strong>Two Years Earlier<strong>

_**Jaden was sitting in the police station, waiting for his mother to come and pick him up. A girl with blonde hair was sitting across from him, talking to a police officer.**_

"_**Do you need anything Alexis," asked the police officer.**_

_**The girl, Alexis, shook her head then looked at Jaden.**_

"_**Who is that boy, the one with the brown eyes and hair?"**_

_**The officer turned and noticed Jaden.**_

"_**Oh, you mean Jaden. Please be nice to him, he has had a hard life, poor thing."**_

"_**What do you mean?"**_

"_**Well a few years ago, Jaden was well known for being a child prodigy. The boy had a gift, everything he did he excelled in; sports, academics but mostly duelling."**_

"_**Really! He was a duellist!"**_

_**The officer shook her head before continuing, "Not was, he still is."**_

"_**So what happened? Did he lose his talent?"**_

"_**No. You see, Jaden's father is very religious, strict Catholic and he believes in the devil which is not good for Jaden and wasn't good for Yubel."**_

"_**Wait, what? Yubel? Wasn't that a duel monsters card?"**_

"_**Yes."**_

"_**So… what is he doing here?"**_

"_**You see… there were a few… incidents. Seemed Jaden could make duellist collapse or have their throat slashed, anytime they threatened him and he had his Yubel card that is."**_

"_**Oh… is he dangerous?"**_

"_**No, no. Yubel's gone. But Jaden's life was about to get worse. It was years ago."**_

"_**If it was years ago, then what is he doing here?"**_

"_**As I said, his father is very religious. Jaden is here for child abuse reasons."**_

"_**Child abuse!"**_

"_**Yes, his father beats him. But there are problems: Jaden won't testify and his mother can't gather any evidence. We all know though. We don't need physical evidence for that. His mother can't divorce her husband because he has threatened Jaden."**_

"_**Oh how awful."**_

"_**Yes, his father uses him for material gain. He enters Jaden in competitions with cash prizes."**_

"_**Oh."**_

"_**Go and talk to him, I am sure he could use a friendly face."**_

_**Alexis smiled and walked over to Jaden, but he was already gone. The officer joined her and sighed.**_

"_**He is very shy, promise you will tell no-one of his past Alexis. Maybe you could do the station a favour and gather evidence on Henry Yuki? He is Jaden's father. Right now Jaden needs a guardian angel. All he has is his dual monsters cards. I know your family work for the government, maybe they can help?"**_

"_**Yeah, okay don't worry, I'll protect him and his secrets"**_

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><p>Alexis had kept her promise, not even Jaden knew the truth. He didn't know of the private detectives that were sneaking into his house or making sure he was never alone. They made sure that every scream Jaden made was reported to the police. But even they weren't tough enough to stomach the abuse Jaden went through. Alexis sometimes lay on her bed and sobbed when she thought of what Jaden went through, she knew his mother had tried to shield him, yet even Alexis's parents could not protect Jaden from his father's wrath.<p>

Now that monster had gone too far. Jaden was comatose with no hint of waking and his father was out there, free to hurt him again.

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><p>The detectives had concluded the investigation. Finally the police were free to arrest Henry Yuki and label him for what he was: a child abuser. Yet they could not have done without Alexis Rhodes. That night there was an announcement for a school assembly.<p>

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><p>Chancellor Shepard was standing on the stage, waiting for his students with a patience that betrayed his years. When they had all settled down, he finally spoke.<p>

"Students, as you know a student is in a coma. You deserve to know the truth but anyone who pesters this student for more information will be going through an appropriate punishment procedure. Is everyone clear?"

There was a pause until every single student nodded; all except one.

"Alright then, the student's name is Jaden Yuki. Yes I know you have all heard of him," for there were many gasps when he said Jaden's name, "but he is not the boy you think he is. He has been abused since the age of seven, by his own father no less." Another round of gasps followed this statement, "However Jaden wanted to come here, first to escape his father, second was to escape fame. He never asked to be famous; he was forced to attend those competitions by his father. I know you don't want to believe it, yet I tell you this for a reason: Jaden wants to start anew and he must be allowed to do so."

The students took in what the chancellor said and then placed their attention on the screen behind him. It showed Jaden lying in the hospital in his coma. Those machines alone were enough to send one student to the bathroom. The next image showed Jaden at the age of six- This was when the press was most interested in Jaden; they had always found the strange phoenix burn on his arm a topic of fascinating discussion- Jaden had just finished duelling. His dual disk was still active and his opponent was on the ground. There was also a dual monster out on the field: Yubel. The students were in shock: they had heard rumours of Yubel, how she had sent so many people either to the hospital or the morgue. Yet Yubel had left this one alone, like he wasn't a threat to her. Another slide, another picture: Jaden on the ground crying, a boy with a knife in his hands looked like he was ready to pounce. Another image, this time it depicted something familiar to most students: the boy with the knife, on the ground with his throat slashed, it had been the picture in the papers and was front page news: **"YOUNG BOY'S CARD TURNS INTO KILLING MACHINE, Is dual monsters an evil game or is Jaden's phoenix mark the cause?"** It was then the students realised; Yubel wasn't evil, she was protecting Jaden.

Fonda Fontaine, the school nurse, stepped onto the stage. Turning towards the students, she spoke.

"Jaden has suffered severe blood loss and head wounds. He has broken his right arm in five places and his leg in six. He also has four broken ribs. However, I am pleased to say he is going to make a full recovery, though how is extraordinary. I am here to tell you why: the rumours are true: Jaden has powers. I tell you this because I know he will never tell anyone else. I would like to see few of you after 8pm though. I have the list here: Zane and Syrus Truesdale, Alexis Rhodes, Tyranno Hassleberry, Chazz Princeton and Blair Flannigan."

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><p><em><span>I am really impressed by the speed, not so well with the quality. Oh well, I did my best.<span>_

_I am preparing myself for a more impressive chapter. The thing is there are always parts in a book that are boring but are necessary for a story; otherwise it will not make sense. _

_By the way I am getting comments about the blue eyes in the first chapter. I put them on there because when people are first born they usually have blue eyes before they change colour. _

_The orange thing was on there because it was the only way to explain that Jaden could see spirits and had telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Sorry. I know lame._

_Please read and review._

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_

_P.S: Yes I have seen a therapist and yes I do have a dark mind. I'm both Asperger's and a Gothic Alchemist._


	4. Mind Games

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or the Flame Wingman, but I do own the cards: Wolf Puppy and Angel Unicorn_

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

Mind Games

_Jaden felt trapped in his own mind, there seemed to be a constant battle going on. He tried to run but he knew there was no-where to hide; he was a cornered rabbit in his den. Since falling into his coma he had been looking for a way out. _

"_Jaden, why don't you play with me?" said a disembodied female voice._

"_Huh? What? What is going on?" said Jaden._

_He was standing all alone, surrounded by darkness. He thought that the voice was familiar; he knew that he had heard it before._

"_Jaden… I will make sure that you are safe again. I promise… for now you need to listen to the voice of darkness," said the voice. _

"_The voice… of the darkness!" said Jaden nervously._

"_Yes."_

_Jaden grew scared, but then relaxed. He knew the voice meant no harm and that he would be perfectly safe. Yet he felt so alone._

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><p>Miss Fontaine knew there was something wrong with Jaden and that he was not in a traditional coma. It was almost as if he was suffering an emotional trauma. Every few seconds he would wriggle and grimace, at the same time he seemed to be talking to somebody in his sleep. Miss Fontaine had hoped that the students that she had called out to would know what was going on.<p>

Zane, Alexis, Syrus, Hassleberry, Blair and Chazz were sitting in the nurse's office. Jaden's bed had been screened in order to keep other students from getting sneak peeks of him, yet they could still hear the beeping of Jaden's machines.

When Miss Fontaine and Chancellor Shepard entered the room, Alexis was the first to speak.

"You mentioned Henry being in custody, but surely Jade could have visited her son couldn't she?"

Miss Fontaine seemed to be thinking about the most appropriate answer. "Unfortunately Henry was even more angry than we could have anticipated, he had murdered Jade minutes after returning home. For all those who don't know; Jade was Jaden's mother."

Alexis was upset beyond tears. Jaden was pretty much an orphan now. All because he was too scared to testify, it wasn't his fault though: Henry had probably threatened his mother if he told anyone, so Jaden would have protected her by keeping quiet, he was like that.

"My parents had promised Jade and the police something," she said. Miss Fontaine looked at her and waited for the answer, "if anything happened to Jade, then we would take Jaden in. He needs a family."

Miss Fontaine nodded. "That is one of the reasons I called you here today: all of you have a connection to Jaden in some way and it is my job to find the cause of Jaden's condition but also to make sure that he has someone to support him when he wakes up. We will start with you Zane: how do you and Syrus know Jaden?"

Zane looked at his brother before reminiscing:

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><p><strong>Nine Years Earlier<strong>

**Zane and Syrus were walking through a park; they couldn't wait to get home: it was liver and onions day, Sy's favourite and Zane loved to see his brother smile. **

**Suddenly they noticed a duel across the road. Unfortunately Syrus put his excitement before his safety and ran, not noticing the huge lorry that was fast approaching. Zane screamed and tried to save his brother, then noticed he and his brother were not on the ground anymore. An Elemental hero named Flame Wingman had them in his arms, saving them from the lorry.**

**Flame Wingman returned to his owner: Jaden. Syrus and Zane jumped down from the monster's arms, they were too grateful for being saved to ask any questions. As soon as he was reassured they were safe, Jaden walked away and left a stunned Syrus and Zane. From that day they were always looking around the park, waiting to see if Jaden would reappear. He never did. **

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><p>Miss Fontaine and the chancellor looked as if something had been confirmed. They knew that, because it was years ago, Jaden would have very little memory of what happened, which was probably why he didn't recognise Zane and Syrus straight away. They then looked at Hassleberry.<p>

"What about you Tyranno, how did you meet Jaden?" asked Chancellor Shepard.

Hassleberry sighed before starting his story:

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><p><strong>Eight Years Earlier<strong>

**Hassleberry and a boy called Bastion Misawa were having an argument over who was a better duellist, in the park. Hassleberry had stolen dual disks off of every kid who had fallen victim to his duelling deck. Bastion had demanded he gave them back, saying he was not that great a duellist and that he, Bastion, could take him down easily.**

**None of them noticed a small brown haired, brown eyed duellist crying in the sandbox. Yubel had been taken away from Jaden days ago and now he felt so alone, yet the sounds of the argument were making him feel worse, he cuddled himself further as he let the tears fall. Just then, Bastion noticed him.**

"**Hello! Are you all right old chap?" he called.**

**Jaden looked up and nodded, but he knew it was a big mistake. Hassleberry recognized him instantly.**

"**Hey soldier, why are you crying? Wait! You're that Jaden kid, the unstoppable duellist who has special powers."**

**Jaden nodded again and then he heard a faint chuckle. **

"**Powers?" said Bastion. "Oh please. That's an illogical, irrational theory and he is not unstoppable, I bet even you could defeat him."**

"**Is that a challenge soldier?" asked Hassleberry.**

"**Yes I believe it is old chap," said Bastion.**

**Jaden looked at the two boys; they seemed to be whispering something before agreeing to the challenge. **_**Who knows? **_**He thought. **_**Maybe a dual will help me get through this, I still have my deck and my dual disk, father will never get rid of those; 'cause then I can't win all that money for him. **_**He stood up and brushed his trousers. Walking over to the two boys he activated his dual disk and spoke for the first time in days, his throat dry from lack of use.**

"**Hey, why don't the two of you dual me at the same time?" he asked. **

**Bastion and Hassleberry looked shocked, but they accepted the challenge.**

"**Great, but if I win, you have to give the dual disks back okay?" said Jaden.**

**Hassleberry looked annoyed. "Yeah okay," he said, "but if we win, we each get to pick a card from your deck, take it and then we get your dual disk."**

**Jaden took his time to decide. "Sounds fair," he said.**

"**Game on!" all three of them shouted.**

**Jaden: 8000**

**Bastion and Hassleberry: 8000**

"**I'll start first," said Jaden, "and I summon Angel Unicorn, ruler of the sun in attack mode."**

**A white unicorn with feathered wings appeared on the field.**

**Angel Unicorn is level 1, light attribute, spirit type monster, with 100 ATK points and 100 DEF points. **

"**Next, I'll use his special ability to summon Wolf Puppy, ruler of the moon in attack mode."**

**Wolf Puppy is a level 11, dark attribute, spirit type monster, with 0 ATK points and 0 DEF points. When you summon it to the field on your first turn, you can use its special ability #3 on that turn, without a battle phase.**

**Hassleberry was confused. "Hey serge, why are you summoning them: they're useless, and what's with all the wind and why is there a ring of fire surrounding us?" He and Bastion were truly scared now. Bastion was starting to believe in what Hassleberry had said about Jaden having powers. **

**The purple and blue flames were caused by all the pain and grief Jaden had kept bottled up. He struggled to control them and finally managed to make them disappear, he knew he could do nothing about the wind: it happened whenever he duelled someone and actually softened the blows his monsters dealt to his opponents. Bastion and Hassleberry breathed out a sigh of relief when the flames disappeared, the gulped when they saw the colour of Jaden's once brown eyes: bright gold.**

**Jaden continued as though nothing had happened, "I play Wolf Puppy's 3****rd**** ability, when I successfully summon him on my first turn, I can look at the top card of my deck and activate whatever ability my wolf puppy which is appropriate to the type of card I draw." He then drew a spell card from his deck, "I activate Wolf Puppy's spell card ability: when I draw a spell card he can take away up to 10,000 points from your life points!"**

"**WHAT!" Bastion and Hassleberry both shouted.**

"**You heard, Wolf Puppy, do your thing."**

**The black puppy that had been summoned looked at the duel disk attached to the opponents and ran up to them. When he had reached a good distance, he took aim and pounced on the disks, biting both them and the opponents' arms. Both players stumbled from the unexpected weight of the puppy and then winced from the pain of the bite. When the pup drew away, they saw that it had drawn blood. It appeared that Jaden's psychic abilities were real too. **

**Jaden looked horrified at himself. A few tears showed in his eyes when Bastion took a step backwards, clearly disgusted. Hassleberry felt nothing but pity for the boy: it was clear that all he wanted to do was have a fun duel, instead he suffered more pain; the pain of loneliness. As part of their deal, Hassleberry returned all the dual disks back to their rightful owners. Then he began searching for Jaden, who had disappeared after the duel. Bastion had given up duelling, he was now pursuing his dream to become Dr Eisenstein's assistant, but Hassleberry could never forget Jaden, though he knew Jaden would soon forget him. **

**Hassleberry was forever changed after the duel with Jaden. He became the person his dad could be proud of. He listened to others problems and helped them whenever he could. He even made sure to be accepting towards different people, whatever their situation, even if they had powers like Jaden, though no-one was as powerful as him.**

* * *

><p>Chancellor Shepard and Miss Fontaine were in tears after hearing this story. Smiling they asked Blair to repeat hers and Chazz's story. Blair looked as if Christmas had come early.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Five Years Earlier<strong>

**Blair and Chazz were having the usual argument. Apparently Chazz thought he was superior to everyone, though Blair knew his big secret: Chazz could see monster spirits and was very ashamed of this ability. Blair had finally won the argument for Chazz to come to the special hospital where her mum worked. **

"**I DON'T WANT TO GO!" screamed Chazz. **

"**You have too," said Blair.**

**When they arrived, they immediately noticed another new patient: Jaden.**

**Blair was excited; she had heard about Jaden on T.V. and immediately turned into his stalking fan-girl. Forever going to his room and bringing his food, she even accompanied her mother to his tests. **

**Chazz immediately didn't like Jaden. He was getting more attention than him and was more powerful than Chazz could even imagine. He even got the ladies attention because of his physic, kindness and looks, not to mention all his other qualities. It was as if the boy had no faults, other than his shyness and wounds left from his wounds. His wounds were healing at a rapid rate. Dr Flannigan was thrilled by all the tests she conducted on Jaden.**

**Then, a few months later, Jaden vanished. Never to be seen or heard from again, until Blair found out he was entering a competition, six weeks after his disappearance. Her mother kept Jaden under constant watch, from all the news reports and the competitions, to the public viewings of Jaden and the medical records, mainly the police records of Jaden which took pictures of Jaden's wounds and were following his child abuse investigation.**

**Jaden had a charming smile, a body to die for. Powers and talent, not to mention the phoenix burn that made look like he was a secret agent. He even dressed well, always in either black, or red, or both. Yet he had no friends. People seemed to either be frightened of him or were too obsessive over him. So obsessive, that he once had to hide in a caretaker's cupboard, in between the mops, because there were a group of fan-girls chasing him.**

* * *

><p>The corners of the two teachers' mouths twitched. Jaden seemed to have gone through hell and back, yet no-one could really help him. They hoped that Alexis could shed some light on Jaden's life story.<p>

When Alexis had told her story, the teachers sighed. They knew it was too much to ask for, but hopefully Jaden's life was about to change for the better. He was at Dual Academy now and he was safe… if he could wake up from his nightmarish slumber.

* * *

><p><em>Jaden was still trapped, but he hoped the voice of darkness could help show him the way home.<em>

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><p><em><span>Well there you have it. I hope you enjoyed it.<span>_

_Oh and also, please read and review. Wait you've already read it if you get to this stage… so… then… never mind. Review please. Yeah, that's it. Ah! Aspie… sorry can't help that, though I wish I wasn't sometimes and then I could go out and… not have anyone bully me. Anyway, hope you enjoyed my story._

_May your soul remain in your heart,_

_AspieWriter_


	5. Shadows of the Mind

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

Shadows of the Mind

Miss Fontaine watched as Jaden wriggled and grimaced some more. She knew that he was struggling with his own inner demons. He moaned in his coma. There was nothing she could do, even though she tried everything. She had hoped that some students would come over and talk to him; it was as if he knew he was alone.

* * *

><p><em>Jaden struggled against the shadows that were consuming his body, yet they felt so comforting to him and made the pain of his loneliness go away: and Jaden was in agony.<em>

"_Jaden, I am so glad you came. Please stop struggling, I would never hurt you," said a mysterious voice._

_Jaden stopped struggling immediately; instead he listened to the voice._

"_I know you feel alone Jaden and that you search for someone like you, yet there is no-one. I, on the other hand, believe you are not alone. Not only do you have your dual monsters, you have me, Yubel and those students you met in the past. Unfortunately your mother passed away. You know this, yet you mustn't let the grief consume you: it will cause me to emerge before you are ready and turn my heart black."_

_Jaden nodded. He understood the implications of his emotions; they were what made his powers stronger and he knew how dangerous he could be. _

"_Jaden, I will leave you to awaken. A kiss from a person whose heart is as pure as yours will cause your mind to break free of the chains that bind it. Tell no-one of me and let things take their course. I will leave you now, during this time you will rest and heal."_

_Jaden closed his eyes and began the healing process; he knew that he would awaken soon._

* * *

><p>Miss Fontaine watched as Jaden's eyelids flickered, she knew it would not be long before he woke up. She knew that Jade had sent her son here in the hope for him to find a home, friends and a place in the world.<p>

Jaden stirred and opened his eyes. He had finally awoken from his deep slumber. Miss Fontaine called the chancellor, who asked to come and see Jaden. Then the nurse prepared a hot meal in order to boost the Slifer's energy.

* * *

><p>"Jaden, I know you won't like this, but I was forced to call the students to an assembly. We were discussing you."<p>

Jaden shrugged his shoulders. "That's okay chancellor, as long as you uphold your end of the bargain: I'm content."

The chancellor looked pleased and nodded. "Very good Jaden: acceptance, which is what we need to have more of around here."

Jaden smiled and continued eating his soup. "The students you had while I was… sleeping. Could I see them?"

The chancellor agreed for Jaden to see the gang. He also said a special guest had arrived and Jaden would be very surprised to see who it was.

Jaden had been sitting on his bed in the nurse's office, which had been his home for five days, the police thought he would be safer in the hospital but his mother wanted him to stay there. His mother had been killed three days prior and his father had been arrested two days after her murder. He knew he was forever safe from his father, he knew even God would not save a murderer. Yet Jaden felt sad, his mother was forever lost to the land of the dead, until she was reincarnated into the human world, maybe she would go to another world like the spirit world?

While he was pondering his thoughts, the door opened. Chancellor Shepard walked in, along with Chazz, Alexis, Zane, Syrus, Hassleberry, Blair… and Bastion. Bastion had changed from the duellist Jaden had first met. Jaden knew that Bastion had quit duelling in order to pursue his dream to become Professor Eisenstein, yet that was all he had heard from the young Englishman.

Jaden also had an unexpected visit from Dr Eisenstein and Dr Flannigan themselves. He became nervous when they told him their purpose for visiting: Jaden needed to undertake some more tests. This put Alexis at breaking point.

"He is not a wild animal! Why don't you just leave him alone?"

"You do not understand Alexis," said Blair's mother, "You were never there when Jaden was my patient. I know your family have taken his records and that you know of my findings, yet you do not know the implications of Jaden's coma. How it could affect his powers, for example and how he will cope in light of his trauma. Jaden is a very delicate boy; he has gone through so much. I beg you to let us help him. Don't worry the tests are quite painless and he would not even notice the change in his schedule. We will study his from afar and give a few changes and exercises: changes in his diet to see how it affects his telepathy. Can he move a ball into a basket with his mind? Those sorts of things are what we will study, nothing more and nothing less."

Alexis was concerned but understood the importance of the tests, Jaden needed them and there was no harm in giving him what he needed. Consenting to the tests, she sat by Jaden's side and waited for the others to explain the plan.

Jaden was going to have two experiments a week, the others' job was to look after him and ensure he was doing well. Hassleberry would put him in a fitness regime, Bastion in an academic regime. Blair would monitor the progress he was making, using her obsessive stalking skills. Zane would track his duelling and test him weekly, Syrus would make sure he was healthy and keeping up with his meals. Alexis was going to make sure all those things were done and that he would visit the professors, twice a week, at the nurse's office and Chazz would be Chazz: he would keep Jaden from being bored and constantly keep him ready for duels and controlling his powers.

Today was going to be his first experiment: see how long he could a ball in the air with his mind.

He did it for twelve hours.

After the test, Jaden was so exhausted that Syrus had to carry him to his room. When he finally reached the dorm, Jaden collapsed on the bed and instantly fell asleep.

Little did he know that, someone was watching him.

* * *

><p>Jaden had worked through the schedule for two weeks now. Over time the students who were helping with his schedule, became his friends, even the two professors had a good laugh with him. There were many fan-girls chasing after him and that was what mainly kept him fit. His powers were beyond anything the professors had ever seen, when they asked him about it, he claimed that he had had them since birth.<p>

Jaden was still sad about his mother's death, he visited the shrine he had made for her every day and practised the traditional remembrance ritual she had taught him every night, before bed. Yet even this could not take away the pain of losing someone he loved. His dual monster spirits begged him not to dwell on his grief alone.

Yet Jaden did not know of the many pictures of him in a lab at the far side of the island. The lab contained books on Jaden's family, books on ancient dual monster legends, books on the People of the Flamed Phoenix and pictures of a figure known as the Supreme King. Currently there was a picture on one of the many computer screens; it showed Jaden running towards the port. He and his friends were expecting some new arrivals, little did they realise what that meant for Jaden.

Jaden had been anxiously waiting for the transfers for days. Dual Academy had invited the top students from its worldwide branch, to come over to the central school. Along with the transfer students was a teacher named Professor Thelonious Viper, a teacher who was said to push students to their limits.

Jaden was happy to see his friends that morning and he knew they were happy to see him smile. He hadn't been his cheery self since the nightmare two days ago.

* * *

><p>Jaden tossed and turned in his sleep, grimacing at the thoughts that were bouncing around his mind.<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Jaden… Help me…" screamed a voice.<em>

"_How can I help? Where are you? What's your name? Why do I feel like I know you?" screamed Jaden._

"_So you haven't forgotten me then Jaden," whispered the voice, before fading into the distance._

"_Wait, don't go! Please?" screamed Jaden. _

_Suddenly he was alone: alone in the darkness. _

* * *

><p>Jaden was momentarily distracted from the memory: who did the strange voice belong to and why was it so familiar? Yet his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of screaming girls: they had seen Jaden arrive and were heading straight for him.<p>

He had nowhere to run to and while he was thinking of a back-up plan, the teachers were struggling to keep the crowd under control. Jaden was doomed: doomed to be at the mercy of the wrath of the screaming fan-girls. Blair always got jealous of them: last week she forced Jaden into an Obelisk Blue room and demanded that he sign the back of her dual monster card, all because the fan-girls had caught him coming out of Alexis's room.

They were discussing Atticus, Alexis's brother. Atticus had disappeared two years prior: that was why Alexis was at the police station when she met Jaden; she was looking for an update on the search. The police were theorizing that Jaden could use his psychic abilities to find Atticus, Jaden had tested the theory, but with little success. It looked as if Atticus was gone forever.

_Maybe there is a light at the end of this tunnel, _thought Jaden as the the new arrivals walked down to the docks a greeted the chancellor.

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><p><em><span>I hope you enjoyed it. Please Review.<span>_

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	6. Spiritual Twins

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-G-Oh GX or the Crystal Beast cards. _

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

Spiritual Twins

Jesse Anderson had heard of the famous Jaden Yuki from listening to the spiritual channel. As a duellist with spirit abilities himself, Jesse had also known he was a patient of Dr Flannigan. When had heard that Jaden was attending Dual Academy, he had gathered his Crystal Beasts to discuss the options, for they had heard that some of Jaden's monsters were quite dangerous; eventually they had reached the decision to come and visit Jaden, so they hopped onto the North Academy cruiser and headed towards the Central Dual Academy.

Adrian Gecko, however, was here for more unusual reasons: he too had heard of the legendary duellist and had come to acquire Jaden's deck in order to become a better duellist. Adrian did not know there were other reasons for his visit.

Jim Cook was here to see if he could help Jaden; he had heard that the young duellist was struggling within himself. Chancellor Sheppard had invited him personally: he knew that Jim had a reputation for finding a person's true heart. Jim had accessed Jaden's personal files and he knew that the same fun-loving duellist was buried somewhere: deep within Jaden's mind was a young kid whose childhood was taken away from him.

Axel Brody was Professor Thelonious Viper's personal protégée. Many envied his strength and duelling skills, as well as his leadership skills and intelligence. Recently, Axel had heard that there was someone who rivalled his skills, even outmatched them: Jaden. Axel had come both out of curiosity and at the request of his teacher: Professor Viper. So far, Axel was impressed: his opponent looked strong, healthy and intelligent.

Jaden smiled and approached the guests. He smiled and shook hands with all four of them. It was then he noticed a large man in military uniform, approach Jaden and then narrows his eyes, before walking to the chancellor. Shepard looked at the man, before shaking his hand and smiling. The man whispers something to the chancellor's ear, which makes Shepard smile and point at Jaden, he seemed to be confirming something because the strange man seemed to smile and then looked as if he was summarizing Jaden's appearance. Jaden the realised this was the guest professor: Viper.

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><p>"As you all know, these students are the best of their academies and they are all looking forward to working with you. Please respect that they are new here, however that does mean it will not affect their duelling," said Chancellor Shepard, mainly looking at Crowler and Chazz, who were well known for picking on new students, or any other student for that matter.<p>

Shepard had already dismissed Jaden, who was having another experiment today, having already spoken with him privately. Jaden was not going to let the new arrivals get in the way of his tests.

Currently, he was trying to make tea with just his mind. He was doing well and was at the 'add milk and sugar' stage. It was then he started to feel faint, the tea crashed to the floor, Dr Flannigan stood from her chair with a reflected speed and Jaden collapsed.

* * *

><p><em>He was trapped in the darkness again. No matter where he ran he could not see the light. <em>

_Suddenly he heard an ancient song: it was the song his mother used to sing him when he was little. _

_**Little phoenix, **_

_**Little phoenix,**_

_**Arises from the ashes,**_

_**Brushing aside the flames,**_

_**Taking my fear,**_

_**Taking my nightmare,**_

_**Taking my pain.**_

_**Little phoenix,**_

_**Little phoenix,**_

_**Takes away the light,**_

_**Letting the darkness comfort me,**_

_**On this stormy night.**_

_The song was repeated over twelve times by a familiar voice, the same voice that had been asking for his help. Jaden knew he was safe again and let the darkness escape from his eyelids, by opening his eyes. _

* * *

><p>Jaden awoke to find himself in the nurse's office, the tea was forgotten about and he had a cardiac monitor attached to his chest, instead of the psychic monitor attached to his head.<p>

"How are you feeling Jaden?" asked Miss Fontaine.

"Fine," he said.

Jaden left the nurse; he was in perfect health, just tired. Maybe he could catch a good dual and then go to bed before he was forced to attend dinner. The fan-girls had all been restrained and given detention. He was just wondering what they were serving at the Slifer dorm, when he heard a confident voice from behind.

"Hey Jaden, do ya'll want to throw down?"

Jaden had been intent on getting to sleep and then he thought _why not?_ He smiled and activated his dual disk, while turning to face his opponent: Jesse.

"Game on!" he said.

**Jaden: 4000**

**Jesse: 4000**

"Guests first," gestured Jaden.

"Right. I summon, Crystal Beast Emerald Turtle, in defence mode."

_Crystal Beast Emerald Turtle is an effect type, water attribute, level 3 monster. It has 600 ATK points and 2000 DEF points. _

"Next a face down… and that'll be that."

"My move then," said Jaden. "I summon Angel Unicorn in attack mode. Then I'll activate his special ability to summon… Wolf Puppy in attack mode."

"Hey Jaden!" said Jesse.

"Yeah!"

"What's with the wind and flames?" Jesse was nervous now as the blue and purple flames surrounded the players and field.

"Don't worry Jesse, you're perfectly safe," assured Jaden.

"Oh… okay, finish your turn."

"With pleasure, this dual may be over as I activate wolf puppy's special ability. I draw… a spell card, so all your life points are gone."

Jesse watched in shock: Jaden's powers and duelling abilities were real! In just one turn, Jaden had won the game.

After the duel, the players shook hands. They carried on towards the Slifer dorm, knowing they would always be friends.

* * *

><p>Jaden and Jesse were sitting on the deck on the Slifer dorm. They had been discussing Jesse past. It turned out that Jesse had the power to see spirits and that he had been chosen by his monsters, not the other way around.<p>

"- then Pegasus presents me with the Crystal Beasts and tells me, 'with great cards comes great responsibility'. We've been together ever since. So how about you Jay? What's your story?"

Jaden no longer saw the ocean, instead his saw bleakness. Jesse was worried but watched and listened as Jaden began to speak.

"When my mother found out she was pregnant, she told my father that I would be touched by God to keep him happy. When I was finally born on Halloween-"

"Hold on! You were born on Halloween?"

"Please, let me finish? You'll understand."

"All right then."

"As I said, I was born on Halloween. My father was wary, but my mother was overjoyed. She finally had a son, a healthy born: you see, my mother was thought to be infertile. Yet she knew I was different. I never cried, not even at birth, I simply showed people my emotions using my mind: I was telepathic. I could see and talk to spirits, lift things with my mind, control the elements. I could even have visions of the future. Yet I knew to never tell my father. He didn't find out till I was five. That was when things got… interesting. Anyone who tried to hurt me, they either ended up in comas or they had their throats slashed."

Jesse grimaced but Jaden continued, lost in his memories.

"My father found out and he was mad! I mean really mad! He hit me and told me the reason was because of a demon living in the house. We tried everything. Then, when I was seven, my father took a special card from me. The attacks stopped. I wasn't hurting anyone anymore, but my father was: me. He said that, to keep the demons away, the spawn of hell should be tortured. I was that spawn."

Jesse shuddered at the thought: a tiny Jaden trying to fit in, only to be beaten near death by the man called his father. Jaden didn't know any happiness, only pain. He now had tears in his eyes as he continued with his story.

"My life was hell. I tried to come outside and make new friends, yet I couldn't because most believed I was cursed. I tried to tell them otherwise, yet they would not listen. I just ignored everyone, in the end, and made friends with my dual monsters. My father placed me in competitions, the competitions that everyone has seen me in, and forced me to compete for the prize money. Agents wanted me, but my father knew they would find out more than they needed to know, he turned them all down."

Jaden sighed and got into a more comfortable position. He was still angry at his father.

Jesse picked up on his moon. "Is there more?" he asked.

Jaden nodded and continued.

"I found out about Dual Academy, I was ecstatic. I had been to the special hospital Mrs Flannigan worked at; my body was healing from the marks my father's abuse had left me. The doctor told me I would never have to leave. I was happy yet I longed to be with other kids and not focus on my differences. I ran away. My father found me and I became his victim again. My dual monsters and my mother knew what I wanted though; they found the forms and filled them. One night my dual monsters ran away with the forms and sent them through the post. They returned and told me what they had done. I was so grateful. I left for the entrance exams a week later."

"What happened to your parents?" asked Jesse.

"My father killed my mother, after he had tried to kill me, and was arrested for her murder, along with other charges. I don't talk to him anymore and I try to forget him, though not my mother: I pray for her and I built a shrine in her memory."

"Oh."

They looked out onto the sunset. It had been a peaceful day, yet there was something still bugging Jesse, Jaden's telepathic abilities could sense the question bubbling in his mind and looked at him.

"I was just trying to figure out why you stayed in Slifer Red. A duellist of your calibre should be in Obelisk Blue," answered Jesse.

By now, the rest of the gang, including Chancellor Sheppard and Dr Crowler, had caught up with Jaden. They had all been wondering the same thing, but had refrained from asking the question. Jaden smiled.

"I was wondering when someone was going to ask me that," he said. Everyone looked at him hopefully but also confused. "One thing you learn as a telepath: people usually don't like the questions in their minds to be the ones that are answered. To answer the question you have spoken is always the best answer."

Jesse laughed. "So, are you going to tell us?" he asked.

"Yes."

Everyone waited a few minutes before Chazz got impatient.

"Tell us slacker!"

Jaden sighed and closed his eyes. "The reason I decided to stay in the red dorm was because of a personal choice. I had always gotten the perfect scores on everything. I never got the pleasure of failing. I can't fail. I don't know why. I tell people I can't, but they don't believe me. I wanted to be a regular kid, so I put myself in the lowest dorm, that way the news stations would never know and I could live my life in peace."

"Failing is a PLEASURE?" screamed Chazz.

Jaden shook his head, got up and walked to his dorm. He knew they would take it like this. Yet he couldn't blame them. Getting undressed, he walked towards the window and looked out at the inky black sky. He was here now, dual academy, he was safe: his father could never hurt him again. Still, the little trip down memory lane had stirred some old emotions he thought were dead and buried. Laying his head on the pillows, Jaden drifted into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

><p><em>He dreamed of his past. <em>

_Jaden had just won a duel with a neighbour. He had done exceedingly well. He was thanking his cards when a figure appeared. She was his favourite dual monster, a hybrid of dragon and human. _

"_You did well Jaden," she said._

"_Thanks, I couldn't have done it without you. Wolf Puppy and Angel Unicorn were tired so I decided to give them a break."_

"_You could do well with any deck; remember the starter that was full of mismatched cards. The one that had only one spell card, no traps. You used them and nearly lost, yet you won in the end. No-one could figure out how you did, they were convinced you cheated. Your father claimed it was God's work."_

_Jaden smile turned into sadness._

"_What's wrong?" asked the spirit._

"_It's my father. He wants me to enter more competition, but I don't like the fame. I try to say no, like you said, yet he wants me to go up against this man: Aerial Persona."_

"_The one from prison? The one who was put there for sexually harassing you?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_No"_

"_I know."_

_The spirit looked at Jaden, worry flooding her eyes. She put her hand on his shoulder and sat next to him. Once she was in a comfortable position, she cuddled Jaden. _

"_Don't worry," she said. "I'll protect you. I will always protect you; he will fall just like everyone who wants to hurt you."_

_From that day, the strange incidents started to happen. The press were thrilled and his father was furious, someone seemed to be turning his son into the devil and he was getting bad reports from the church. They claimed the family was cursed by the black witch. Yet Jaden felt safe._

_He wished that the spirit was not so violent, yet he knew that she was just trying to help. Soon she only made them sleep for a while. A few months, max. One day he took out her card, walked to their special tree and brought a picnic that he had made himself. He shared it with all his dual spirits. _

_Lifting a glass of orange juice, he proclaimed, "Thank you Yubel, thank you everyone." Then downed the juice._

* * *

><p>The dream shattered and Jaden was screaming one name: "YUBEL!"<p>

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><p><em><span>Please review<span>_

_May your souls remain in your hearts_

_AspieWriter_


	7. Mate Needs Help

_Disclaimer: I own Angels Sacrifice but not the other cards or Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

Mate Needs Help

(Rise of the Neo-Spaciens)

Jaden knew he had no time to spare; he had to get to Chancellor Shepard and tell him what he had remembered. The only problem was it was the middle of the night. He had to chance it. Putting on his shoes, Jaden excited the dorm room. He did not notice who else was up: they had heard his screams, so Bastion, Chazz, Blair, Alexis, Syrus, Zane and Hassleberry decided to investigate.

Jaden ran as fast as he could, he could feel his feet pounding but he didn't stop until he came crashing into Dr Crowler. Dr Crowler had never really forgiven Jaden for beating him in the entrance and always looked forward to having opportunities to punish him. Jaden didn't have time though, so he pushed Crowler with his mind. Using his telepathy, he shouted _I have to see Chancellor Shepard, I'm sorry but I must. It's urgent! _

At last Jaden reached the chancellor's office.

"Chancellor I have too—"

"What is it Jaden, are you ready to transfer to the blue dorm?"

Chancellor Shepard was talking to the vice-chancellor: Jean-Louis Bonaparte. Bonaparte had always been a fan of Jaden; he was forever trying to convince the young duellist to move up to the Obelisk Blue dorm.

Jaden shook his head and gestured that he wanted to talk to the chancellor alone. Bonaparte left, grumbling about finding a way to get to Jaden, and Jaden immediately went into speech.

"Chancellor! I know the name of the card!"

"What card Jaden?" asked the chancellor.

"THE card. Her name is Yubel."

"Jaden! This is great news! Now we can find out what happened to her and we can get her back. You can be reunited with your friend and then people will see she was not evil, just protective."

"Great. How long until she comes home? Can I tell the others?

"Of course. She is yours and therefor you must tell others about her. I'll call the press and explain everything so you don't have to anything, but you must be the one who tells you friends; they will understand better."

Jaden nodded and left the room. The chancellor looked out the window.

"Little does he know: I already know where Yubel is. I must tell Mr Kaiba and get him to give me the info on the neo-spaciens. He will be most interested in this."

* * *

><p>Jaden couldn't contain his enthusiasm, then he remembered the dreams he had been having: Yubel was hurt. But, hopefully, she would be home and safe soon.<p>

Jaden immediately sought out his friends, he found them in the Slifer cafeteria and told them what had just occurred and about Yubel. He also told them about his worry that Yubel was hurt.

Jaden's friend listened until the very end.

"That's great! When is she coming home? Oh I'm so sorry she's hurt," they all said, well everyone but Chazz.

"We are going to have to dual, when you get her back of course," said Jesse.

This reminded Jaden that it would soon be time for a change of deck: his other monsters didn't like to be left out plus Wolf Puppy and Angel Unicorn were tired. He and Jesse ran upstairs and grabbed the box which contained all of Jaden's other cards.

"What are Evil Heroes?" asked Jesse.

"Oh. Yubel gave them to me. She said they would keep the bullies away. Sometimes she would lock them up though because I couldn't always handle them: they were always arguing with my Elemental Heroes."

Jaden picked up the Hero he had used to save Syrus and Zane: Elemental Hero Flame Wingman. He was thinking of reinstating the Elemental Heroes but he was waiting until Yubel had re-joined the group. They and the Evil Hero's got on like peas and Carrots even though the latter were always arguing. He wanted to surprise her as well. When he was younger, he created a new deck that would complement her powers nicely. He wondered what had happened to the designs: his mother and his dual monsters told him that his father had taken them somewhere. It was a shame: Seto Kaiba was the one who had first brought on the interest to Jaden. Kaiba had even helped out with the designs.

* * *

><p>Seto Kaiba was waiting in an empty classroom. His duelling case and another briefcase were on the table. Chancellor Shepard walked in and closed the door.<p>

"Nice to see you again Mr Kaiba, can I get you anything?" he asked.

Kaiba shook his head.

"I am here on business. I looked up the Neo-Spaciens and found out some interesting facts, you might want to sit down. This might take a while."

The Chancellor nodded and took a seat opposite Kaiba.

"As you know, years ago, I hosted a competition for dual monster card designs. I was going to launch them into space to be infused with cosmic matter. After seeing fifty applicants, I found Jaden's name on the list. I had heard of Jaden on television and I could never strategize how to beat him. I made notes and did calculations, he had been beating pros since the age of three. I think even Yugi would have been given a run for his money."

Shepard nodded before Kaiba continued.

"As a matter of fact, Yugi was keeping an eye on Jaden too. Jade had requested him to help her son. I now you already know this, Yugi was the one who arranged Jaden's special arrangements when he came here."

Again Shepard nodded.

"What you don't know is how I met Jaden. Well he was an applicant, yet, because of his age, I felt the need to have him in my office and help him with the designs. He gave life to the neo-spaciens. It was like he possessed, he kept taking advice from me and a card: Yubel. When the designs were finished, I had him take them home. A few days later, I sent a note to his parents asking them for permission to enter. Yet when I got the reply, I was surprised who delivered it: Henry Yuki was standing in my office, blood all over his fingers and Yubel in his hands. He had the designs too. He asked me to send them up with Yubel. I said no at first, yet he was insistent. He said he would kill Jaden otherwise. I didn't realise it at first, but I looked at him like my little brother. I wasn't happy with the intimidation, but I couldn't risk Jaden's life. I agreed and sent them into space. Yubel was sent in a separate shuttle."

Going to his briefcase, Kaiba looked down. He opened the case to reveal what was inside: the Neo-Space deck. There was no sign of Yubel.

Chancellor Shepard rose from his seat.

"So Jaden did enter," he said.

"Yes."

Shepard nodded. He took the deck and stroked the top card.

"Did you ever find Yubel?"

"The shuttle we sent Yubel is was recovered but the card wasn't. Yubel is nowhere to be found."

"Yes. I suppose Jaden will have to wait until we recover her. At least he knows we can, it won't be long now."

"Yes."

* * *

><p>Jaden was in the chancellor's office, waiting for Shepard to tell him why he was here. He had sensed that the chancellor had wanted to give him something: something other than Yubel. Jaden had tried not to read Shepard's mind, but it was difficult. It was as if the chancellor was screaming his discomfort at him.<p>

"Jaden, I know you are trying not to read my thoughts and I greatly appreciate it. You were trained by your mother to use it when you were nervous. I understand that you can't read minds during duals, do you know why?"

Jaden shook his head.

"Well either way, you came here for a reason. I have something to give you Jaden."

Jaden's eyes widened when he saw what the chancellor was giving him.

* * *

><p>Jim Crocodile Cook was waiting in the Obelisk Dual Arena, with his crocodile, Shirley, strapped securely to his back. The entire school had come to watch him dual; they wanted to see why the chancellor himself had picked Jim.<p>

Jim realised the answer when he saw his opponent: Jaden.

"Game on!" they both shouted.

**Jaden: 4000**

**Jim: 4000**

"I'll go first," said Jaden. "I summon Evil Hero Infernal Prodigy, in defence. Then, I'll throw down… three face downs."

**Evil Hero Infernal Prodigy: 300/600**

"I'm up mate," said Jim.

"I summon shell knight in defence mode; because of his special ability you lose 500 points. Next comes a face down and that's my turn."

**Shell Knight: 0/2000 **

**Jaden: 3500**

"Since you have a monster on your field, I get to summon this guy with one sacrifice: Evil Hero Malicious Edge!"

**Evil Hero Malicious Edge: 2600/1800**

"Then I summon: Neo-Spacien Aqua Dolphin"

**Neo Spacien Aqua Dolphin: 600/800**

"and use his special ability: sonar wave! If there is monster with less attack points then it's instantly destroyed, then you lose 500 life points. In order to activate it, I had to send one card to the graveyard. Next I play O Oversoul to summon the monster in my grave: come on out Neos."

**Elemental Hero Neos: 2500/2000**

"Next I play the card, Angel's Sacrifice."

_If you sacrifice two face-down spell cards. You can use this card to attack you opponent directly with up to two monsters._

"I send my other two spells to the grave in order to activate Angel's Sacrifice. Now I can attack you directly. Neos and Malicious Edge?"

The two monsters looked at Jaden.

"Attack," he said.

Just like that the dual was over. The school were in shock, they had never neo-spaciens before and they certainly were a surprise.

Jaden was hoping for a longer dual, but he had lessons to get to and knew he had to hurry along.

* * *

><p><em><span>I too wish it was longer, but I have so little time and so much to do.<span>_

_I am going to make more long chapters, but at the moment this will have to do._

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	8. Mind Control

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or any of the cards other than Angel Rebirth and Hero Change._

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

Mind Control

A week had passed since Jaden had introduced the Neo-Spaciens. He was thrilled that the spirits were there too. Neo Spaciens had amazing personalities and got on well with his monsters.

Bustinitrix was going discussing the finer points of heroineism to Twinkle Moss, when there was knock on Jaden's door. Each of his spirits disappeared while he went to get it, when Jaden did answer the door they reappeared, for they had felt Jaden's shock: the person at the door was Axel Brody.

Axel looked at Jaden like he was a target. He had been contemplating on how to approach Jaden ever since he had received his mission from Viper. Eventually, he had decided to go to Jaden and ask him to dual upfront.

Jaden was shocked by the request, but he came over it and agreed to the challenge. They would meet at midnight, on top of the cliff-face.

* * *

><p>Jaden waited for Axel to appear, he suddenly sensed a dark mind surrounded by walls: Axel. Axel had researched all of Jaden's life, including his powers. He used any type of information that he could get a hold of, so he could learn to defend himself and find Jaden's weakness.<p>

Jaden was impressed; very few people had ever blocked him. They knew that Jaden showed them privacy and that he only used his telepathy to keep an eye out for strangers, not to spy.

"Are you ready to duel?" he asked.

"Game on!" Axel shouted.

Jaden activated his dual disk; he was excited by this dual.

**Jaden: 4000**

**Axel: 4000**

"I'll go first… and I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart, in defence mode. Next comes three face downs… and that'll be that."

Axel nodded: he had been expecting the elemental heroes. He had also been doing research on the dark power that lay deep within Jaden's deck. It was as famous as Exodia.

"My move… I draw… then I activate Blaze Accelerator. I send one Volcanic Shell to the grave, fire… and destroy your monster. Then I play quick summon, to summon… Volcanic Blaster in defence mode. Then I play three face downs, back up is deployed," finished Axel.

**Volcanic Blaster: 1200/600**

Jaden was, again, impressed. Axel had executed a perfect strategy and had defeated one of Jaden's monsters. Since it was the effect of a spell card, Jaden knew his face-downs would not stop it. Luckily he was more than prepared. The darkness was calling to him, saying not to be afraid, that nothing would happen to Axel. Jaden was scared, but he wasn't strong enough to defeat the darkness.

"I activate Hero Change!" he shouted.

_Hero change is a trap card that lets you swap Elemental Heroes for Evil Heroes. But, you must discard all your Elemental Heroes. In exchange, you can increase the attack points of any monster you summon at any turn by 1500._

Jaden suddenly fidgeted. He knew what he was getting himself into and it was never easy. The monsters he was about to summon, made his duals a vague memory, but a friend had promised him that the Evil Heroes would not cause great harm to Jaden's opponents.

Darkness formed around Jaden, he screamed until he was completely covered. The temperature dropped and great gust of wind pummelled the two duellists. The darkness and wind left, only to be replaced by a ring of blue fire that surrounded the entire playing field.

The smoke that had formed cleared to reveal Jaden's friends and Jaden. Only, Jaden wasn't Jaden anymore. The darkness had taken the boy everyone knew and loved, replacing him with a stranger that had taken up Jaden's body. Jaden's friends gulped when they saw his eyes: they were bright gold. His clothes had transformed, from the standard Slifer uniform to black armour. The armour had spikes on its shoulders and gave of an intimidating feel on anyone who looked at it; it was complete with a helmet that had its visor lifted; revealing Jaden's usually warm face. Axel smiled: this was what he had been waiting for. This was the true power of Jaden Yuki.

Alexis became teary, she knew that Jaden would never hurt anyone, but she also knew how close he was to his dual monsters. Jaden once told her he feared his own powers. Now she could see why.

"Axel, let us continue," said Jaden, in a voice that was calm and so unlike his own.

"Dual!" shouted Axel.

"Since I used the power of Hero Change, I get to send all my Elemental Heroes, including the ones in my extra deck, to the grave in order to bring out my Evil Heroes. As I have Evil Hero Infernal Prodigy in my hand, I can summon him."

**Evil Hero Infernal Prodigy: 300/600**

"Next I activate the power of Angel Rebirth."

_Angel Rebirth is a spell card that lets you summon up to two monsters from your graveyard, but they must be in defence mode. _

"I use the power of Angel Rebirth to summon… Avian and Burstinitrix, then I activate Dark Fusion. With this spell I summon… Evil Hero Inferno Wing.

**Evil Hero Infernal Wing: 2100/1200**

"Infernal Wing: attack!" shouted Jaden.

"I activate my trap-" started Axel.

"Don't bother: the effect of Dark Fusion means that cannot activate any spells or traps. Also, even though your monster is in defence mode, you will still lose life points: the difference between your monster's defence points and my monster's attack points."

**Axel: 4000 - 3100**

"To add insult to injury, whenever she destroys a monster, Infernal Wing deals damage equal to the monster's attack or defence points, whichever one is higher."

**Axel: 3100 - 1900**

Axel struggled against the power of both attacks; they were slowly starting to suck out the oxygen from within his body. He bled from the wound where the Evil Hero's claws had scraped him. After the second attack, he crouched down in order to regain his breath.

"I place one card face down and end my turn," said Jaden, who appeared unfazed by the attacks and unconcerned for Axel's safety.

Axel stood; he appeared impressed and had a small smile on his face.

"Tell me?" he asked, "How does it feel to be using all your powers against me. I know that Jaden would have held you back. He must have been so scared, yet here you are, using his full powers. Why don't you finish me off, I know your stronger than this."

"Jaden was not always this pathetic. There was a time when I could appear any time I pleased. Jaden never disagreed; he wanted the bullies to discontinue their quest to make his life miserable. The problem was he has a good heart. He begged me to stop attacking those insolent dogs and asked that Yubel and I awoke them from their comas. Bah! I couldn't bear to see him suffer at your hands; it was an embarrassment, so I made a deal with him: I was allowed to appear, only if I promised to never cause any serious harm. He still blames himself for Yubel; he thought that she just needed some more training so he jumped at the chance to create the Neo-Spaciens. When she was taken from him Jaden was alone and helpless. Bullies tormented him and I wasn't going to stand for it, the time when he got the respect he has now, came from a tournament two years ago-"

* * *

><p><strong>Two Years Earlier<strong>

Jaden was facing a great opponent: Aster Phoenix. Aster saw this child as a wannabe and he was furious that the cards his father created were being used by someone so inferior. His agent said Jaden would be warm up.

So far Aster had thought that the kid played okay, but he was unimpressed with the skill the boy's father claimed he had. Jaden didn't seem like much of a challenge.

Suddenly, the arena was surrounded by purple and blue flames and Jaden was entirely covered by darkness.

* * *

><p>"<em>Jaden do not be afraid," echoed a voice in Jaden's mind.<em>

"_Who are you?" shouted Jaden into the darkness. _

"_Jaden, I know I wiped your memories, so you will not remember me. You needed to become stronger in order to understand that what I was doing was right."_

_Jaden grew scared. He had learned, from his terrified classmates: that several people who used to bully Jaden either had their throats slashed or fell into comas. The latter usually happened right after Jaden duelled them. _

_The voice chuckled. He seemed to be able to read Jaden's mind for he said, "I see your pathetic little friends never spared your tiny mind from the truth. Still, we must be kind: they never saw what really happened and we must be thankful for that, otherwise you would never get a moment of peace. Enough talk, you are going to lose and I can help. Just accept my offer and I promise not to cause permanent harm to Aster."_

_Jaden was afraid but he knew he had no choice. Aster would be in bigger trouble if he didn't agree to the terms._

"_I accept!" he shouted._

* * *

><p>The dual was over, when Jaden awoke. His opponent looked terrified and had a few scratches, but was otherwise unharmed.<p>

* * *

><p>"After that dual, Jaden refused to talk to me. I had to wipe his memories because he never got over the trauma. I had to win. Losing was not an option. I tried a different approach and eventually it worked," finished Jaden.<p>

"So you carried on, lying in wait for Jaden to accept you again?" asked Axel.

"Yes."

"But he never did. Did he?"

"No. Until today, I saw how you were pummelling him. It amused me a bit. I thought that Jaden would never recover from defeat and that he was going to start accepting me. But I was wrong, he was enjoying losing: he was impressed by your moves and wanted you to keep them coming. I had had enough: when he lost his monster, I let myself feed on the unhappiness of losing a friend that was emanating and forced him to accept me, Jaden never stood a chance."

Jaden's friends were furious, even Chazz was shaking his head. Alexis began to cry silent tears: Jaden just wanted to feel normal for once and his reward was this.

Chazz spoke on behalf of the gang, "who are you to do this slacker. My Ojama's tell me they are afraid of you. Our dual spirits seem to bow at your feet and smile whenever they saw the real Jaden. Tell us, or you'll regret you slime."

Jaden smiled and closed his eyes. Keeping his head down, he replied, "I am the Supreme King of Darkness."

Everyone, other than Axel, was in shock. They had heard of the Supreme King. He had ruled the twelve dimensions and was said to be the most powerful force to have existed, yet he had an enemy: the Light of Destruction. The king had defeated the light at a cost: the light had one of its supporters stab him in battle, just as the teen was all set to marry a beautiful princess. Crowler and Bonaparte, who had been listening into the duel, fell out of their tree in shock.

Alexis was the one to speak up, she was shaking with rage, "if you are a king, then you should be one and leave Jaden alone. A king would never be so awful to his subjects."

The king laughed and shook his head. "Oh, I am sure you will believe otherwise, but Jaden is the good side of me. His people, who are also my people, have been awaiting his birth ever since I was killed in battle. He is me, I am him. We are two sides of the same coin. He is not my subject."

Alexis knew she had lost this argument. Bastion, however, was a different story.

"Why don't you just wait until Jaden was in real danger? I know the light isn't gone, so why don't you just wait until then and who are your people anyway?"

The king sighed and pressed his fingers on the bridge of his nose.

"The answer to the first question is, because I can't make danger come to him all the time and he needs to learn that the world can be hard and cruel and that I am a part of him. The second: I want to prepare Jaden for the Light I can't only take control of him during that time. Third, our people are named the People of the Flamed Phoenix."

Jaden's friends looked at Bastion and then at the teachers, but each of the shrugged their shoulders: they had never heard of the People of the Flamed Phoenix.

The king grew impatient. "Enough of this!" he shouted, "On with the dual."

"Right," said Axel, "I place two cards face down. Then I play cost down. I discard one card and play Volcanic Hammerer.

**Volcanic Hammerer: 2400/1500**

"Now Hammerer, attack that Infernal Wing."

"I activate negate attack."

A barrier appeared between the two monsters and Jaden smiled, though the smile was cold and heartless. The friend they knew was slipping. But the king was bored; he felt it time to end the dual quickly and was growing tired: Jaden was not quite ready for the king yet, his body was slowly pushing the king inside and Jaden was struggling against the feeling on loneliness.

"I end my turn," said Axel.

"My go then… I activate another of my face downs Angel Rebirth and Dark Fusion. With Burstinitrix and Wildheart back on the field I'll use the dark fusion to create… Evil Hero Wild Cyclone."

**Evil Hero Wild Cyclone: 1900/2300**

"Then I sacrifice my prodigy, in order to summon Evil Hero Malicious Edge."

**Evil Hero Malicious Edge: 2600/1800**

"You can't," said Axel. Confusion evident.

"I can and did. See Malicious Edge prefers to be out when there is another monster on the opponent's side of the fields: meaning I can summon him with just one sacrifice if you have a monster on your side of the field. I can also use the effect of Hero Change, meaning I can add 1500 points to Evil Hero Infernal Wing."

**Evil Hero Infernal Wing: 2100-3600**

"Evil Heroes: ATTACK!" shouted the king.

Axel knew none of his cards would help him. There was nothing that could stop the assault, so he stood there and took them. It was an impressive dual.

When Axel's life points hit zero, the king collapsed. Alexis was fearful but hopeful, she rushed to the kings side and lifted his head into her lap. The king opened his eyes and allowed them to glow: Darkness covered his body again, when it had cleared, the armour was gone and the gold eyes had turned brown: Jaden was back. Jaden only had his eyes open for a second, before he closed them and sighed. His friends rushed to his side, they knew he needed medical attention and there were many questions that needed to be answered.

* * *

><p>"<em>JADEN!" yelled the same familiar voice. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT? ARE YOU HURT?"<em>

_Jaden shook his head and got up off the floor, he was inside his mind again. _

"_No, I am not hurt Yubel," he said._

"_You know who I am?"_

"_Yes."_

_Suddenly an eye appeared. It looked like the third eye of Yubel, the one on her forehead. _

"_You have grown, my dear Jaden."_

_Jaden smiled and attempted to stroke one of the veins attached to the eye. Yubel purred at the gesture, she was so happy to see her Jaden._

"_How have you been?" she asked._

_Jaden shrugged his soldiers. "Lonely," he replied._

"_I am so sorry. I let this happen, even though you were not ready," said Yubel._

_Jaden pursed his lips. He didn't think that Yubel was to blame; all she wanted was to protect him. He wanted to run to her and hug her, her full form. _

"_It was not your fault; it was my fault for being so weak. It was always my fault," he replied._

"_DON'T EVER THINK THAT! You were always there to help others. You knew there was darkness in you and you even begged me to get rid of it. I thought that, if I became the monster you so feared, then your heart would be spared. The king used to be my friend, he listens to me. When I was taken, I could no longer protect you from the darkness that lay deep within your heart. I knew that I could never get rid of him, so I comforted you and protected you. I sometimes trained you. I know some people who could help you, but you must retrieve me and find them with your friends."_

"_Who?" asked Jaden._

"_The People of the Flamed Phoenix," replied Yubel._

* * *

><p>Jaden woke with a start. He was lying in the nurse's office, his friends had surrounded his bedside along with the two professors, Miss Fontaine and Chancellor Shepard.<p>

"How are you Jaden?" asked the chancellor.

"Fine, I just need some rest. Wait! What happened?" asked Jaden

Everyone looked sad, then Alexis sat on Jaden's bed. She stroked the hand that had the cannula in. "Well Jaden," she said, "you were duelling and… something… happened."

Jaden looked frightened, "No!" he exclaimed.

"It wasn't you fault, but the darkness-"

"No!"

"took control-"

"No!"

"and made you become-"

"No! Not him, please say it's not true."

"Jaden. It's true, you became the Supreme King."

Jaden couldn't speak: the Supreme King was someone he had reason to fear. When he asked people about the memories he couldn't remember, they said that he had called himself the Supreme King. His mother said he was not ready and she did everything she could to comfort him.

The cardiac monitor began to bleep at an alarming rate, Jaden couldn't breathe. Miss Fontaine ushered everyone out so she could get Jaden's heart rate under control. She pushed him back onto the bed and forced a syringe into his neck. Jaden immediately fell asleep. Alexis snuck back in and placed his deck on his bedside table. She knew he would want it near him.

* * *

><p><em><span>Sorry this took so long, I had to have surgery on my right big toe and the andesitic made me unable to type well. Bed rest was for two days before I could really type on my computer. A sore throat doesn't help either. <span>_

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I will type extra fast for the next one. _

_Please Review._

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	9. The Truth

_Howdy everyone! I'm back! Mwah ha ha ha! My folks said I could continue: thank you mum, thank you mum's boyfriend! _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

The Truth

"I will not continue teaching when I do not know the full profile of my students, even if they are world famous."

Crowler was yelling at Chancellor Shepard. He and Bonaparte were determined to find the cause of Jaden's behaviour. Both were thinking of using the information against him.

"Jaden is a very special student. That is all I am going to tell you," said Shepard.

"Fine monsieur, we will go and ask Jaden ourselves," said Bonaparte.

* * *

><p>Jaden was finally back in the Slifer dorm. Jesse and Jim had arranged to be transferred into the same dorm and so had the rest of Jaden's friends. Chazz was grumbling he didn't want to be seen with slackers but Alexis couldn't help but smirk, if wasn't as if anyone had forced Chazz to become a Slifer.<p>

Jaden was keeping himself entertained with his thoughts. Jesse was trying to coax him out of his bunk while sitting at the desk. Jaden had been keeping himself isolated, preferring not to risk his friends. He had even refused to dual for fear of reawakening the Supreme King. Jaden had changed from a shy nature to a fearful one; this was not the type of personality that Chancellor Shepard had hoped to achieve. Jesse was hoping to change this, little did he know that the pep-up Jaden needed was an explosion away.

The door burst from its hinges, it became a splintered mess on the floor. Jaden jumped out of his bed and ran down to the ground from the balcony, Jesse lagging behind.

"Bonjour monsieur!" said Bonaparte, "Would you honour us by answering a few questions? Just a few, oui?"

He and Crowler were wearing protective gear; they had their hands on a detonator and were looking at Jaden with a malicious gleam in their eyes. Jaden sighed and ran upstairs; he felt the need to have his monsters near him so he grabbed the tin he had stashed all his cards. Running downstairs he walked to an appropriate distance from the two teachers.

"What is it?"

"Well monsieur," said Bonaparte. "We were first wondering what happened last night, who are you and what are you doing here?"

Jaden frowned. Closing his eyes, he pinched the bridge on his nose. "If I tell you, will you go away and leave me in peace?"

They both nodded and Jaden and prepared for the inevitable arguments that were going to come.

He told them about his past and how he was always looking for a way to redeem himself. He knew he had powers and he wanted to use them to help people. Jaden was aware he had a darker presence inside him, he feared it. His mother told him it was something that was to be discussed when he was ready, but Jaden accidently tapped into it before then.

* * *

><p><strong>Nine Years Earlier <strong>

**Jaden was facing another opponent: a bully this time, Jock. Jaden was winning, but the boy tried to cheat. Before the dual, he had rummaged in Jaden's bag. He stole Jaden's Yubel card and threatened to tear it if Jaden won the dual.**

**With Yubel in danger, Jaden thought of surrendering. Yubel had given him a special deck last night and he had been eager to test it out. Yubel warned Jaden that there was a price for this kind of power and she urged him to be careful. Jaden had smiled and promised to be careful. He thought it was a good idea to be responsible with his powers, no-one ever got hurt but there was a number of destroyed furniture with Jaden's name on it. **

**Suddenly the anger that Jaden was feeling for Yubel's position and the bullies bargain, took over. The Evil Heroes looked at him worriedly as the darkness consumed him. Jaden was no more, in his place was a cold-hearted king: The Supreme King. The dual was over in the course of five minutes, yet Jaden couldn't handle the power he was given: he wasn't ready. He let his anger take control and as a result his body was in shock as well as his lack of control. Jock was in a coma for six months, he never duelled again. **

* * *

><p>Crowler, Bonaparte and Jesse shivered at the thought. Jaden had received this memory from someone else as he had no memory of it himself. Just then Bastion came out of his hiding place: he had been hiding in a tree in order to overhear what Jaden had to say.<p>

"Now it is my turn," said Bastion. "Who are the People of the Flamed Phoenix?"

Jaden smiled a warm smile. "They are mine and The Supreme King's people. I am one of them from my mother's side. We are an ancient clan that focuses on keeping the balance between light and darkness. We have many rituals and traditions. When I was born, I was taking to my mother's elders. At midnight, they performed a special ritual so everything would be in place for when I was ready for the role of The Supreme King."

"So you knew you were The Supreme King?" asked Bastion.

Jaden nodded and sighed.

"So," said Jesse. "If you are The Supreme King, what are you doing at Dual Academy instead being back at a palace or something?"

"I was told that I had The Supreme King's powers and that I also had a choice: I could live life as a normal boy or I could sit in a palace all day and wait to fight the light of destruction. I chose to live a normal life. I still have to defeat the light, just not yet. They told me I'd know when the time was right. I guess I can't hide anymore though. Aw heck, the whole school probably knows my real identity thanks to my dark side's little demonstration two weeks ago."

Jesse nodded and said, "Probably. But you can't let this keep you down. There is one more thing I would like to know: how does Yubel fit into this?"

"Yubel is The Supreme King's guardian. That means she is my guardian. She was originally a human. In my past life she was my best friend, but then my father of the time, King Albador the first, decided she would make a loyal guardian. When she turned twelve, she was taken to the alchemists of the People of the Flamed Phoenix; she was one of us already so she knew who they were. They stripped her of her humanity and transformed her into a dragon hybrid. It had some interesting effects; it made her half male and half female. She sacrificed everything to protect me and The Supreme King."

Jesse nodded while the others looked at Jaden in shock: Yubel really had sacrificed everything to protect Jaden, it was no wonder he loved her so.

Jaden looked at each of them for a moment and headed towards his ruined dorm. He suddenly halted when he heard the question that was brewing in Bonaparte's mind.

"Jaden? I want you to enter the blue dorm, so does Crowler," he said out loud.

Jaden turned to find all four of them nodding. He sighed again: there was no point in pretending anymore, it was one of those situations where it had become pathetic to fight. Inhaling then exhaling, he smiled and nodded. Jesse and Bastion smiled too and nodded in approval. Jaden knew then and there, he would not be alone for long.

Jaden's monsters appeared beside him. Burstinitrix was weeping and smiling at the same time: she knew that Yubel would have been proud.

* * *

><p>Next day found Jaden in the Obelisk blue dorm. His room was spacious yet lonely. He wanted to visit his friends so he immediately went to the Slifer red dorm: the gang had decided to use it as their hang out. Jaden still enjoyed the Slifer meals and the uniform better than the Obelisk ones. Tucking into his fried shrimp, Jaden looked around for Pharaoh, Professor Banner's cat. Pharaoh liked to brush against Jaden's leg. He seemed to be quite fond of the young dualist.<p>

Jesse had told the rest of the gang what had occurred the previous day, so they were immediately at Jaden's table asking questions. All had gone back to their appropriate dorms after finding out that all Jaden needed to cheer up was a look back into his past worries: sometimes the past needs to be looked at a different angle in order to better understand and forget it.

Jaden explained what his hobbies were and what his favourite duals were. Alexis smiled: she had never seen Jaden this happy and it was that what everyone had hoped to achieve. They were in the middle of discussing who the best dualist in the school was: Zane or Jaden, when Jaden remembered the dream he had of Yubel.

Yubel had reminded Jaden, last night, about what she had said two weeks ago, the night The Supreme King took over.

"Hey guys?" he said, "Do you think that Yubel may be on the island."

Jesse shrugged his shoulders and looked at Jaden. "It's possible. I mean, you can hear her, right?"

Jaden nodded.

"Then she has to be close."

Jade shook his head; he had always been able to see Yubel in his dreams when he was a kid. Even when she was taken.

"Then what makes you think she's hear slacker?" asked Chazz in an annoyed voice.

"I can… just… sense it you know?" said Jaden.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. There is always a part of us that knows when our dual spirits are close," said Jesse.

"I wonder where she is?" asked Syrus.

* * *

><p>In Professor Viper's office, a mutated hand twitched inside a tube filled with orange liquid. An eye, formed on top of the tube, looking at its surrounding.<p>

"Don't worry my dear Jaden. I will make sure Viper doesn't harm anyone too bad. But I must make sure that I return to you and that the world is safe. Just hold on a little longer," said Yubel.

* * *

><p><em><span>First I want to say a few words of gratitude to all the reviewers who wanted me to continue. You were right; it was foolish to let a bully win. <span>_

_I am sorry this is a very short chapter, still fuming I guess._

_Secondly: You know who you are, I have a copy of your review and I will warn my fellow writers about you. If I ever hear from you, just to let you know: you will NEVER win. I will paint you as the bully you are. Unfortunately you are anonymous which means you probably have no account, so I can't send you an abusive warning. So you don't have that many worries other than an angry writer. If it turns out I am right about the account thing, then how do you know what it is like to write a fan-fic? Never mind, don't answer that._

_Now that that disaster is over, we can have a blast and bury the past. Fellow readers, more chapters are on the way!_

_Please review._

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_

_p.s. I have already told some readers this, but I am starting another story soon. The first chapter will be up soon. I will tell you when in my next chapter of Spiritual Bonds._


	10. Going too Far

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-oh GX nor the card Evil Hero Malicious Edge. I do not own the Neo-Spaciens, the Elemental Heroes or the Evil Heroes deck. I do own the Angel's Blessing deck. _

* * *

><p>Chapter 10<p>

Going Too Far

Adrian Gecko knew his mission, track Jaden's movements and his past. Now that Jaden had allowed it and was more accepting of himself that was easier to do. People were allowed to approach Jaden for autographs and duelling strategies. Jaden would smile and help them in any way he could, it seemed as though he was finally realising he couldn't change the past, he could only look to the future.

Adrian was looking for a good opportunity to study the boy's cards. He found out that Jaden had many decks: Angel's Blessing Deck, Neo-Spacien Deck, Elemental Hero Deck and Evil Hero Deck. One day, Adrian snuck into the Obelisk's room and stole Evil Hero Malicious Edge. After a few tests, he returned the card back to the place he had found it. However Jaden, somehow, found out. After the card was returned, he scowled every time he saw Adrian. Adrian played innocent and looked at the research he had gained from the card: it looked normal.

However, when Adrian's friend Echo did some research, they discovered the card was more than it seemed. It turned out that Evil Heroes were the main soldiers of choice for The Supreme King, which was why only Jaden could control them and why the hero cards were his favourite.

Echo also found out that the Evil Heroes were responsible for the welfare of Jaden, if anything happened to Yubel that was. Yubel was missing and there was no telling how far Jaden's monsters and The Supreme King would go to get her back.

* * *

><p>A week after Jaden became an Obelisk, strange things started happening: students were collapsing after duals.<p>

It had all started when Professor Viper came out with an announcement.

"Listen up. I don't repeat myself so shut up and pay attention!" he yelled "I am going to be implementing a new rule: you will all wear something called a bio-band. It measures a person's fighting spirit and ranks you depending on that spirit. Should anyone receive a second dorm demotion, if a spirit is too weak, then the next step is expulsion!"

Several gasps were made after this announcement. After Viper threatened to expel them if they didn't wear the bands there was an immediate rush to grab them.

After one dual, it was apparent the bands were more than they appeared to be, but Viper had enforced everyone to dual once a day so everyone was being sent to the infirmary. That is, everyone except Jaden and his friends, plus Adrian and Axel. Jaden's psychic abilities kept his friends from having their energies drained; unfortunately, he did not have the energy to protect everyone. He had had one incident of that and that was enough to get him a one way ticket to the nurse's office and a scolding from Miss Fontaine. His friends had been given the task of seeing the cause of the energy drain; Jaden had insisted that he'd help. Miss Fontaine agreed, on the condition that he did not overexert himself.

* * *

><p>"<em>VIPER!" <em>screamed the eye of Yubel. _"This is going too far__, you have to stop. I promised you that I would revive your son, didn't I?"_

Viper smiled and calmly placed her tube on the coffee table. "Yes you did Yubel, but I grow impatient. You are a Dual Monster, you need a lot of energy and as a military official I know what it means to have a fighting spirit. As does your precious Jaden, The Supreme King is a very interesting individual: a brave warrior reincarnated into the body of little boy."

"_You understand nothing of the king. Do not insult my promises and do not insult Jaden in front of me, lest you regret it."_

The tube began to glow bright yellow and exploded.

"Temper, temper," said Viper.

* * *

><p><em><span>This is an insult. Bah! But I have to make it this short in order to prepare you for the next chapter, I guarantee it's going to make this story wayyyy more interesting. <span>_

_As promised I am going to tell you about the next story: Dark Knights. Another GX story and it is either going to have its first chapter up today or tomorrow. I still need to work on a few things._

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	11. The Supreme Queen

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

* * *

><p>Chapter 11<p>

The Supreme Queen

Alexis was wandering through the forest of Duel Academy, when she came across a lake. Looking at her reflection made Alexis realise that her heart and mind were someplace else. She stopped to straighten her hair in the natural mirror. It was then that she noticed a laboratory just beyond the lake. It was very old and looked abandoned. Seto Kaiba had probably noticed it when he bought the place.

Alexis looked at the lab with curious eyes. It wouldn't hurt to look, would it? She went across the bridge and went into the lab. Dark, dank and mysterious were what was best to describe it.

The lab was covered in paintings that depicted ancient times: a king looking at human girl, a king and queen holding their son, another royal family, this time with two children; a boy and a girl. Alexis paused to look at more of the paintings. She stopped when she realised that this was The Supreme King's past.

* * *

><p><strong>Thousands of Years Ago<strong>

**The Supreme King was born to the king and queen of the Dark World. They were not evil, but they had a different view of ruling: they saw that, to duel, you must prove yourself a worthy opponent and give your life energy as an offering. However, this was only done for real in battle. **

**The king and his queen had longed for their son to be a brave warrior, but he was a kind-hearted soul and would never hurt a fly. One day, the king asked for his son's servant to approach him, saying that the prince needed to find out more about life. He sent his son to venture his way across the kingdom, it was on one of these trips that The Supreme King met Yubel. **

**Yubel was not like other girls; she was kind to the prince only because he was kind to her. She was picking roses for her mother and found the prince trying to escape from his royal guards; she giggled and allowed him to hide in her house. **

**After that day, the two quickly became friends. **

**It was then that the king formulated a plan: Yubel was stronger and faster than most girls and she had given her undying vow to always be the prince's friend. The king asked her to cast aside her humanity and become a dragon-hybrid. She agreed and was transformed the next day by the alchemists of the People of the Flamed Phoenix. **

**A few years after her transformation, she and the prince approached the king. It appeared he had summoned them because there were a few people that the prince would want to meet, visiting the kingdom: a princess and her family.**

**Of course, the prince and the princess were unhappy about the meeting; their parents were always forcing an arranged marriage on them. Yet something happened between the two that no-one had expected: they fell in love. **

**Yet disaster made wedding arrangements halt, a battle between the Dark World and the Light of Destruction had taken place. The king had died in battle and as his only heir; the young prince had taken his place: his mother having died a few weeks prior. The new king ventured into battle and shed blood for the first time in his life; he knew that, as a warrior, it went against the honour of his kingdom to cower against a foe. **

**He did not turn to fear, for he had his heart to protect: the young princess for whom he had fallen in love with. She too had the power of darkness at her disposal, but her identity was to be kept a secret, lest the Light should find out. Yubel assisted him where possible, she was protective but she knew that the prince and the princess were two sides of the same coin. They were deeply in love and they could not survive without each other. **

**The Supreme King won the war against the Light. However, the Light had a few tricks up its sleeve and had protected itself deep within the chasms of space. The king used his dark powers to keep it there for a time and to make it return there until it could be completely destroyed. This was all he could do as one of the Light's supporters shot an arrow after he had won the war, the arrow had pierced his heart and he fell screaming his loves name asking her and Yubel to never forget him and to stay strong. **

**The princess had tried to obey her lover's words, but she succumbed to her grief and died a few days later. Yubel said that, if an arrow had not taken the king's life, then both would be immortal. She let her spirit become vapour and travelled to the People of the Flamed Phoenix.**

**The elders of the people performed a special ritual. Taking the bodies of Yubel, the princess and The Supreme King, they reincarnated their spirits and then lay in wait for the chosen two to return to this world. **

* * *

><p>Alexis froze when she saw a picture of the princess, it had depicted her as the chosen one to stand by The Supreme King's side as The Supreme Queen.<p>

Alexis ran to the end of the hall where she came across a shrine to the People of the Flamed Phoenix, she remembered that Jaden had said he knew of them and she longed to tell him of it. Yet something held her back: The Supreme Queen. Alexis couldn't get the image out of her mind, so she settled for taking one of the many books on the People of the Flamed Phoenix: it was a book on the spiritual parts of the world, so she figured it would tell Jaden where they were.

* * *

><p>Jaden was still having his dreams about Yubel; she was angry at someone for going too far but wouldn't tell Jaden who they were. He was sitting in his room, looking through his deck, when Jesse came barging in with Hassleberry and Syrus in tow.<p>

"Jaden," he said. "Alexis wants to see you. She said something about a book only you could work out."

Jaden put down his deck and ran to find Alexis. She was sitting on the cliff-edge, watching the ocean. When Jaden cleared his throat, she looked up at him and pointed to book at her side.

Jaden looked at the book: it was a guide to spiritual places in the world. He discovered that there was one such place, right here at Duel Academy. It was at the centre of a volcano. Thanking Alexis, he surprised them both buy giving her a peck on the cheek. Blushing, he set off for the volcano. Alexis was stroking the place where Jaden had kissed her, she smiled as she watched him go.

* * *

><p>Jaden was used to sneaking around; he had had plenty of practises. He was not used to his people heightened abilities, however, and was shocked when they picked up on him so quickly.<p>

"Jaden," said one of the elders. "We knew you would come. Have a seat, why don't you?"

Jaden sat on one of the rocks that had formed from the volcano's lava. The volcano had been dormant for years. After its last eruption, his people had discovered a natural forming spiritual energy and had decided to bury The Supreme King's body close by. This is what led to Seto Kaiba buying the island after he too discovered the power of the place and thought it best to keep it out of the hands of the Light: he figured that the Light would never go after someone who was connected to ancient history, like he was.

Jaden grew restless with having the elders staring at him and smiling. "So what's up?" he asked in order to break the tension.

The elders sighed and one of them sat next to Jaden.

"First of all," he said. "I am so sorry about your mother Jaden."

Jaden looked at the floor so they would not notice the tears flowing down his cheeks. "Yubel told me to find you," he said simply in order to stop the pain of his grief.

The elder nodded and continued. "We suspected as much. You and she are tightly knit and that is something that can never change. We are here to help you find her so that you can face what you have been preparing for. We feel that you are finally ready to face the Light. You must fulfil your royal duties and also do what you should have done in a past life: join yourself with The Supreme Queen."

Jaden shook his head, suddenly he was fearful. "I don't know who The Supreme Queen is!" he admitted.

The elders shook their heads; they had known that this would happen. One came over to Jaden and put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Jaden," he said. "You are not supposed to know, yet. It is something that the Queen herself must figure out. She is the key to your heart and your greatest power, without her the Gentle Darkness would not be so gentle."

Jaden was confused but he accepted the need for secrecy. "So where is Yubel?" he asked instead.

The elders smiled at him again. The first elder was the one to give him the answer though. "Look inside yourself, you know her location. She is here, at Duel Academy. Viper is using her to get his adopted son back; he is adamant that she will revive him. She has the power to, but she is no monster; despite what everyone else says. Viper is draining the energy of the students: the bio-bands are how he gathers it. It extracts duel energy and places it inside the tube which contains Yubel. Because Yubel is duel spirit, she cannot help but absorb it. In two days, she will appear to you and you will retrieve her card. She will reward Viper, but he will pay for abusing her powers; our alchemists are awaiting his arrival."

Jaden knew that Viper was going to feel the wrath of a thousand duel spirits, Yubel was one of the most powerful spirits there was. The elder paused for a thought and continued.

"We do not know all the details about Yubel and The Supreme Queen. We only know what is written and even then it is not clear. A rival of yours, a certain Aster Phoenix, will disgrace the name of the great firebird and return to do battle with you. But your job is not to defeat him, but to save him: he is wild with grief because of the loss of his father. Brron is growing restless; he sees the king as a threat, so there is that matter as well. We have so much to teach you in so little time."

The elder then went on to explain all the training The Supreme King went through when he was a prince. Handing Jaden a load of books, the elder waved goodbye and left Jaden to study from them.

Two days. That was how long he had to master his psychic powers, because they were to be the abilities he would save Yubel with.

* * *

><p>"<em>Jaden! Please help me… help me to… save the students" <em>gasped Yubel from her tube.

* * *

><p>Axel was watching the hand in the tube twitch in pain. A sad expression on his face. His days of serving Viper were over as his loyalty to Jaden began.<p>

* * *

><p><em><span>I am so sorry about the wait. I had a bit of trouble with my emotions and I couldn't get this story straight because of it. Do not worry though, I am still continuing with both stories and I already have the plot line for Dark Knight's next chapter, sort of. I just need to get up another document after this one. Once I have uploaded this chapter, then I can begin chapter 2 of Dark Knight. <span>_

_A little expanation for the deletion of a person's comments. The reason is a simple one: I do NOT tolerate name calling. That is why it was deleted, because he had not even apologised and I am not going to take critisism from someone who cannot do it in an appropriate manner. I will not delete a flame unless I feel it has gone past the view of hatred of a story._

_Enough said, someone told me some very good advice that I think everyone should take and that the particular flamer who I deleted should take: don't like it, don't read it. I do not even know you or know what you want me to write. I am not your slave. I am here for my own reasons. Now have fun but don't be a bully. _

_Sorry for sounding sappy in this chapter, I have had some really interesting thoughts on how it should go. Please bear in mind that too much romance can cause me physical illness so there will not be too much of it, sorry. Don't ask me how or why._

_I will say farewell for now._

_Please review._

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	12. Winged Kuriboh

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-oh GX_

* * *

><p>Chapter 12<p>

Winged Kuriboh

Jaden was used to the weariness by now: by day, he was living the normal life of a teenage boy. By night, he was fulfilling the prophesy that had been made before his birth.

Jaden had to wait two days before all the pieces would fall into place, so he trained hard. His psychic powers were coming along; he could control them to such an extent. Yet it was not just that which kept his focus: for days he wondered on the identity of his queen: the person who would be the key to his heart.

He was rummaging through his deck, looking for a monster to test his telekinesis on, when he came across a card that had been given to him by a famous duellist: Yugi Muto. It was Winged Kuriboh.

Jaden remembered the time when he had received this card; he had been running late to the exams and was going at a break-neck speed. That was when he bumped into Yugi. When Jaden had apologised and picked up his deck, Yugi looked at him and gave him a card, saying that something told him that it belonged with Jaden: that card was Winged Kuriboh.

Jaden stared at the card for a few minutes, before the card began to glow. He jumped in surprise, the card fell to the floor, then a furry creature that resembled the picture on the card. Jaden looked at it for a moment, his face cracking into a smile. 'Wow' he mouthed. He reached out at licked his lips, touching the creature he gave it more of a pat. He bit his lip in a smile; he had found another friend for the creature was snuggling into his hand.

The creature then made a funny sound. "Woo!" it sounded like. The funny thing was Jaden could understand it. Kuriboh had actually said, "Hi Jaden!" Jaden laughed and said hello back.

Jaden took Kuriboh's card and pocketed it. It would be good to try it out as a test.

When Jaden had arrived at the forest where he liked to practise, he was surprised to see Alexis there. She seemed to be reading something; upon closer inspection, Jaden noticed that it was a very ancient book about The Supreme King's history.

"Hey Alexis, what are you doing?" he asked.

Alexis shot into the air; she did not expect to see anyone here. She quickly hid the book behind her back.

"Nothing Jaden…" she began, but Jaden saw that she was going off into the land of dreams: she had been reading the book for so long that she had not slept and was therefore tired. Chuckling to himself, Jaden reached for her collapsed form and held her close and then he took her to her room and laid her down on the bed. She smiled as she slept.

Winged Kuriboh examined her closely and nudged Jaden's shoulder. Jaden looked up at him closely and proceeded to walk down the hall. When he had reached his own room, he waited outside to talk to Winged Kuriboh, but the little fuzz-ball was already gone to who knows where. It seemed to Jaden that Kuriboh knew something about Alexis an was not telling.

* * *

><p>"<em>So it begins Yubel," <em>said Kuriboh in his own language that only one human could understand.

"_Indeed Kuriboh. I wonder if Jaden is ready for the task at hand. He seems to be running into these situations without a moment's thought,"_ said Yubel.

"_I hope he his. Him and Alexis are the only ones who could stop what is about to come."_

"_And what is about to come?"_

"_That is something that is even a mystery to me."_

"_So what do we do to prepare for the task at hand? Do we consult with our elders?"_

"_No. Dark Magician has already consulted with me. He told Yugi of what was to come and Yugi preceded to hand me to Jaden. I never told Jaden the reason why because this is the first time I have seen to boy."_

"_WHAT?" _shrieked Yubel,_ "Jaden has a right to know the reasons for your presence. I know that he is going through so many changes, but it is not fair to keep him in the dark."_

"_Interesting choice of words Yubel."_

"_Oh you know what I mean. I know that The Supreme King is powerful, but there was a reason I kept quiet about him. I didn't think he would appear for another few years. But now everything has changed and people are still thinking of keeping more secrets from him. Poor Jaden has just lost his only real connection to his people, the only person who could possibly help him in these situations: his mother."_

"_Wait. His mother is dead? As in… gone? How come I never heard anything?"_

"_You were too busy preparing for Jaden's arrival with the People of the Flamed Phoenix."_

"_True. Dark Magician said I had to wait for the right moment before I could make my appearance."_

"_I hear that. Filthy hypocrite."_

"_What makes you say that?"_

"_He never said anything to Yugi, even though there were plenty of times where it was appropriate."_

"_Oh."_

"_Yeah 'oh'. What are we going to do about this situation?"_

"_Dark Magician Girl will kill us if we do not do what her master has ordered us to."_

"_Bah! The old fool. Wait! I'm older than him, so how come I have to listen to his lectures."_

"_He is a 5000 year old spirit who watched the pharaoh and waited in the spirit world patiently for the chosen one to appear. He also passed all of the challenges."_

"_So! I've been around since the dawn of time. I have stood by The SUPREME King's side and waited _ages _for Jaden to show up. This is so not fair!"_

"_You are also a spirit who has retained some of her childhood. Be thankful that you are even in _this _position."_

"_Touché."_

"_I know that he does not seem that wise, but he truly is. We must trust in his judgement. Let us look at the situation from here and then review it when you are returned to your rightful place at Jaden's side."_

Yubel seemed at the proposal and purred at the thought of being with Jaden again. Winged Kuriboh notice the twitch in her fingers and raised one of his eyebrows.

"_How long?"_

"_What do you mean by that?"_

"_Yubel, do not play games."_

Yubel sighed and told him the information he wanted to know. He seemed to be insulted by this and immediately disappeared. Yubel sighed again and let herself become enveloped by the darkness which was surrounding her tube.

Winged Kuriboh had other challenges to deal with. He had appeared in the forest with Ruby Carbuncle. She was asking his about something, but he just shrugged her of and proceeded to tell her what had occurred. She was thrilled and sad at the same time. She did not know what to say to the furry duel spirit. So she left him to ponder his thoughts and went straight to Jesse, who had returned to his Obelisk dorm which had been assigned to him during his stay.

It was going to be an interesting year for everyone.

* * *

><p><em><span>Hello everyone! Sorry about the writer's overload. I will make sure to keep it under control. I had so many things running around my head, I didn't know left from right. Next chapter of Dark Knights should be soon. <span>_

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	13. Good Luck

_There is a state of irony in this, but I will take away the question and answer it. In traditional speak, thirteen was seen as a bad luck number. However, in Wicca, it is good luck because it depict the thirteen moon cycles. If you have any queries about the title, please leave a message and I will tell you in the next chapter._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

* * *

><p>Chapter 13<p>

Good Luck

Winged Kuriboh was pondering what he had heard from Yubel. Apparently she was nearing the end stage of her absorption, but she had been exposed to the Light and she had known it without telling anyone other than him. She wasn't bad, just in much pain.

Without a sound, Kuriboh floated into Jaden's room and disappeared into his card. It was then that Jaden decided to appear from the shower. He had known that Kuriboh had gone somewhere but decided not to pry; Kuriboh would tell him if it was important. Stepping onto the soft carpet of his room, he looked around and went to his wardrobe, picking out his Slifer uniform.

Deciding that it was time for lunch, he ran to the Slifer dorm and went into the cafeteria. To his surprise, he found Alexis sitting alone in the shadows of the corner of the room. Jaden went to get his food and then went over to sit with her; she looked from the book she was reading up as he approached.

"Hey Alexis!" said Jaden, eagerly.

"Hey Jaden," she said dully.

Jaden looked confused that she was so withdrawn and reached to probe into her mind, he was surprised a sense of confusion deep within it. The rest of her mind was a black abyss of emotions. "Have you been practising necromancy or something?" he joked.

Alexis looked shocked and jumped out of her stupor: where had that come from?

Jaden smiled when he read the question and said, "I can read minds remember."

"Yes but that doesn't explain the necromancy."

"Makes sense. Well the only ones with as much emotions as you and that much confusion are usually necromancers."

"How do you know that?"

"My mother was one," he said simply.

"WHAT?"

"Yeah, my father was of the same opinion. Don't worry; she wasn't the kind that made a habit of bringing back the dead. She just could do it and sometimes it happened at times of extreme emotion. She met up with this special group of necromancers so she could control her powers, she took me with her and I read their minds. It was interesting."

"I doubt that seeing necromancers would be interesting."

"You have a lot to learn Lex."

"What do you mean?"

"Necromancy isn't bad, just different. My mother would never disturb the dead on purpose; she just had difficulties at first. Then she got better and helped me with my ability to see spirits, I didn't know that she knew. I suppose it's inherent. But she told me that she had known for a long time."

"How old were you when she admitted knowing?"

"I was thirteen."

"And how long could you see spirits?"

"I have been able to see them since birth."

"So you spent all these years alone."

"No."

"What do mean 'no'?"

"I spent five years thinking I was the only one who could see spirits and then I went to a Samhein festival in a cemetery with my mother. I met this girl and she showed me this really weird tree."

"Why was it weird?"

"Because it attracted lost spirits. Anyway, I went over there and saw three spirits and they waved and then the girl waved. I gaped at her and she told me she could see them too and that they had told her I could see them."

"What was the girl's name?"

"Esmerelda Amelia Yates. She's the same age as me and we were best friends. I haven't seen her in two years, not since my father forbade me to see her."

"Do you miss her?"

"Yeah. But I still keep in contact with her. I have her number and email address."

"Oh."

"You know this is a great topic of discussion, but don't think I still can't tell you're worried about something. I'm here if you need a friend, after all your family adopted me and I know about your brother because of what the police asked me to do."

Alexis showed tears at the reference to Atticus, her brother was gone and there was nothing she could do about it. Yet she still held hope that Jaden's probing would find him and it was not the reason for her deep emotions.

"It's not that Jaden," she said.

"Then what is it?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Lex…" said Jaden pensively, he put his hand on her shoulder. Alexis looked into his eyes and tears were showing in hers. "Tell me," he said gently.

Alexis pondered the situation and took a deep breath, closing her eyes all the while. When she opened them, she spoke. "I got this book from a weird place, the same book I showed you yesterday. I know that tomorrow is the day you get Yubel so I was resistant in telling you about the place; it's really freaking me out."

Jaden laughed quietly and then took his hand off her shoulder. He them placed one finger on her chin, "Tell me Lex," he said. "Why is this place frightening you?"

Alexis couldn't resist those soft brown eyes. "Because this place has the history of The Supreme Royals and the People of the Flamed Phoenix in it."

Jaden took his hand from her chin and placed them in his lap, looking down at them so Alexis couldn't see his worried expression. "And?" he asked.

"It had pictures of _me _as _The __Supreme __Queen_!"

Jaden's head shot up and he looked Alexis straight in the eye. He grabbed her shoulders and held them firmly in place. "Are you sure?" he demanded.

Alexis was a bit shocked at the ferocious display, but then her features became horrified. "Jaden your eyes!" she exclaimed.

Jaden jumped and looked at his reflection in the window: gold eyes. He took a deep breath and they became brown again. Without looking at Alexis, he said, "Please answer the question."

Alexis sobbed a bit. "Yes Jaden, I'm sure," she said.

Jaden turned and smiled sadly at her, but when he saw the tears he became shocked and grabbed her arms again. He lifted his finger to her tears and wiped them away. Alexis looked at him and then hugged him tightly; she really could have used a friend right then.

* * *

><p><em><span>Well, there you have. Was going to be romance, but I couldn't do it. Will try next time. <span>_

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	14. A Friend

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

* * *

><p>Chapter 14<p>

A Friend

Friendship. That was all that Alexis felt could be for her and Jaden; he didn't come from the friendliest of circumstances that allowed romantic emotions.

But she couldn't help but wonder at some of his reactions to herself, Yubel and Esmerelda, to the prophesy that was made before his and her birth and that The Supreme Queen and King were so desperately in love that one died in grief when she had lost him and the other died to protect her. It was a true Romeo and Juliet story.

Today was the day where Alexis would be able to answer some of her questions: it was the day of Yubel's rescue.

Jaden was really excited as to having Yubel returning to his side and deck; he had already talked to his other monsters to prepare a special party for her return. Most did not realise the depths of his powers and that he was giving his monsters the opportunity of a lifetime: he was going to summon them in flesh form using a technique that his mother taught him.

It wasn't that awful really, it just involved gathering his energy in a pure form and spreading it into his cards, but his father was never one to see it that way. No. He would not think of his father, he would focus only on the positives; like getting back Yubel.

When Jaden rushed out the door to go towards the mountain where the Elders of the People of the Flamed Phoenix were, he bumped into a person he hadn't seen in years.

"Hey Jaden!" she said cheerfully.

"Es?" Jaden rubbed his eyes to make sure they were clear. "Esmerelda Amelia Yates, is that really you?"

"Yeah it is and I am here because our people sent me here. You have done well."

"Wait. 'Our people'? I didn't know that you were one of the Flamed."

"Yes, I never did mention that did I? Oh well, can't be helped now can it? We just have to make do with the trust we built up as children."

"Hey Es, did you know about The Supreme Queen?"

"What about her? Where did that come from?"

"Oh… doesn't matter. I just wanted to know what you knew so that I know of your status and blood. There have been too many accounts of madness for me to not know of the consequences of quick decisions."

"Oh… well in that case; The Supreme Queen was the monarch next to The Supreme King. She was destined to live in peace with another, but chose her on destiny with him. She ruled with his for few years, before dying of grieve after she lost him on the battle field."

"I am going to need more information than that. What of her bloodline?"

"That is a great mystery. She was born of noble blood and her ancestry has been written since the invention of ink and parchment, but after her death, things changed. Her descendants' papers were burned and the ancestry remains hidden to this very day."

"Did she have no brothers or sisters?"

"She had a brother. Why?"

"Do you know of any connections to the Rhodes family?"

"What? Where did that come from? Fine. The Rhodes are descended from the brother."

"Would that mean that they are part of the cycle?"

"It could, but there is another family who is descended from the brother."

"Who?"

"Some family called the Flannigans, but they, like the Rhodes, have no idea of their ancestry."

"Could you find out more?"

"Don't you have friend to rescue."

"I can only rescue her when I have The Supreme Queen."

"So that's why. Alright then, sounds like fun!"

"Hey Es?"

"Yeah!"

"Take care."

"You too."

Esmerelda ran off towards the computers in the library, so that she could find more information than what she had.

* * *

><p><em><span>Ah! So sorry about the delay, hope this catch up is okay.<span>_

_May your soul remain in your heart,_

_AspieWriter_


	15. Information

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

* * *

><p>Chapter 15<p>

Information

Esmerelda couldn't believe what she found or how much this information would help Jaden but the duty of The Supreme King was one that he could not shirk, even if he thought himself to be a civilian. But there were other samples of information that could shape the entire future for the young lad, as she found out more about his past. Though not his past lives or loves.

Though she was not supposed to be doing that, not if she didn't want Jaden breathing down her neck while flying with the accusations, she was supposed to be finding out information on The Supreme Queen.

"Well this is interesting," she said as she looked at an old book on family heirlooms. It had some from the Flamed, but was for everyone to read. "There is an old heirloom that dictates whomever it touches and responds to is the reincarnation of The Supreme Queen and that our dear friend Alexis holds it. I wonder if she is the one and, if so, how will she save Yubel?"

A loud crash made the mystery deepen, for the card everyone had sautéed after had fluttered into the room of the young king and no-one knew how. It was just there when he entered to grab a few books for his next class.

"Yubel?" he whispered, when he bent down to retrieve her. The dragon-humanoid appeared by his side, dazed and confused then ecstatic.

"Jaden!" she squealed and hugged him tightly enough so he was swept off his feet and began to choke, she released him when she realised this though.

"Yubel!" Jaden screamed when recovered from his shock. "Where have you been? What happened? How did you escape?" the questions came at an impressive speed.

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down cowboy."

"Sorry. It's just… I'm just…"

"Yeah I know. So tell me; how is this new school treating you?"

"Quite well Yubel, thank you."

"Ugh! I thought we got rid of those over-mannerisms thing."

"Sorry."

"No don't apologise," she let out a sigh and hugged him gently while closing her eyes and reminiscing, "It's not your fault that those People of the Flamed Phoenix taught you how to be a king and not a commoner."

"It was pretty funny when you used to tease them about it, saying that no-one would ever suspect me to be The Supreme King and how they used to blush when you said that."

"Yeah! Ha, ha! I remember that… should I answer your questions now?"

"Yes please."

"Always the enthusiastic one. Alright then, in order: Viper's room, I was abducted by him and I have no idea."

"Wow. You sure had an adventure Yubel."

"Abduction is not a fun thing Jaden."

"When did all this start?"

"After your god-forsaken father placed me inside that spaceship, my only desire was to be free so that I could return to your side. The ship clash-landed on a forest plain, where I was burrowed beneath the earth and my card was separated from my body. There was a part of me that was still attached to the card and I used that part to send messages to you to explain to you my predicament. But then I felt the block on both our sides."

"Block? What block?"

"As I said, it was a block. Someone or something was blocking our powers."

"I don't feel like I have a block."

"You are too powerful and so focused on being normal, I doubt you would have noticed that your powers were blocked and anyway, it wasn't a very good block."

"I have to get rid of it though. I can't have a block in my powers."

"You had it, not have it. You somehow managed to escape its grasps and now the block is gone."

"So what happened next?"

"Oh! I managed to send a wave of dark energy and that alerted someone to my presence. They saw the ship and contacted the American Government and they sent a team to retrieve me. But something caused me suspect that there was danger and I brought down the helicopter with enough force to injure most of the passengers, though not kill them. It was enough to get them to back off, but one of them was relentless: Viper. He pursued my energy and tracked it to the source. Upon finding me, I asked that he assist me in returning to your side, Jaden, but he was adamant that I was to be taken to a research facility, where they would study my remains and try to make some kind of connection."

"But how did you realise that he was full of ill-intent and how did he kidnap you anyhow? It just doesn't add up, you must have had the power to relinquish his control."

"It wouldn't have made any sense had it not been for through block. While you remained powerful, I was severely weakened from the journey that I had taken and I think that Viper could sense the journey power that lay deep inside me. He did not hesitate when he was speaking of his son. I was so saddened to hear of his story that I asked him what he would do to get his son back. He claimed that he would sell his soul the devil. I then repeated the question of my return, trying it into a deal instead, that if I were to bring his son back from the dead then would make sure I was reunited with you. He made a blood oath with me and that was how I walked into his trap."

"So it really was no fault of yours... What about taking the duel energy?"

"Well that was something I am guilty of. At least for letting him let onto what I was doing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Duel Monster feed off of the energy of humans anyway, at least when they duel and even then no-one gets hurt."

"I know that but I also know that it is unnoticeable and that spirits never tell humans that they can do it."

"Yeah. The only reason you know is because of your birthright. But anyway, Viper found out because I was hungry and I made him feel tired without realising. When he realised that more energy equaled faster resurrection for both me and his son, he grew obsessed with finding good sources with potential and power. He created the bio-bands and forced me to accept the energy they were gathering. When I tried to escape, Viper came up with a way to trap me within the confines of a glass tube and I was trapped there until I forced my power to make it implode"

"I thought you said you don't know how you escaped?"

"I don't. I wasn't free just then, because Viper found a way to bind me again. I could use my powers, just not to free myself. I was trapped within a comatose state, by body and outer power useless. He had used the power of the blood oath against me and even if I resurrected his son, only he could unbind me. Unless someone else rescued me with a little power of their own."

"I remain confused Yubel. What does you that mean?"

"Means that there is someone it there with similar powers to yours and that there is nothing to fear from that because that could mean that The Supreme Queen is near and that she merely awoke her powers."

"Do you think she is even aware?"

"I doubt it. You were never aware when your full powers first awoke."

"Yeah that's true."

"And anyway, I doubt she would come to us even if she was aware because it is always a frightening thing to realise you have more power than others. You said it yourself when you were lying on that hospital bed when you were six."

They both flinched as the memory began to drown them with familiar emotions.

* * *

><p><strong>There were fears that Jaden would never wake up from his coma. He had suffered from broken bones and severe loss of blood. They had found him in an abandoned warehouse and it was there that they had discovered all the laboratory equipment that had been used to test him. When Jaden fell into a coma, no-one was surprised. <strong>

**He was in that coma for three days and when they decided to take him off life support, Jaden awoke to the sound of his mother singing to him so that she could soothe whatever was troubling him. **

**Doctors claimed it was a miracle and were not surprised to see that Jaden seemed to be in a worse shape when he had awoken, he didn't even have the energy to get out of bed. **

**All that seemed to comfort him were the Duel Monsters cards that had been left there by his mother. Yubel was the first card on top and the others were all sitting around him, cheering him on as he used his powers for silly little things like teasing the nurses by floating the pens behind their backs while they searched for them. **

**Bustinitrix was trying to muffle her laughter, she wanted Jaden to grow into a sensible king, but then Yubel decided to appear and went over to see what was causing all the noise. When she saw Jaden staring off into the distance with all the tubes sticking out of parts of his body, she went over to see what was distracting him. **

"**What's wrong Jaden?" she asked.**

**Jaden snapped out of his stupor and looked at Yubel with clear eyes, he then smiled and said, "Nothing is wrong Yubel, I was just thinking."**

"**About what?"**

"**Do you know the reason for me being here, in this hospital?"**

"**Not really. Your powers had prevented me from entering the mortal plain. It was like you were protecting us all from something."**

"**Well yes, I had to keep you guys safe."**

"**Jaden, how many times must we tell you? Our job is to keep _you_safe, not the other way around."**

"**I still felt it my duty."**

"**Enough with the duty thing, we will discuss it later. Tell us what the reason that you were taken to hospital was."**

"**I am here because I was kidnapped a few days ago."**

"**Kidnapped? I don't remember seeing that happen."**

"**Allow me to explain. Do you remember the duel from two weeks ago?"**

"**Yeah."**

"**It happened directly afterwards. I was walking back from the duel and decided to put you guys to sleep as I knew you needed rest. Problem was, someone saw me and I didn't realise he would be a scientist. When he came over to me, he asked me what I was doing. I told him and showed him what I could do after he claimed to know others like me. I thought he would be a nice person and help me learn control, but instead he placed a needle into my neck and I fell unconscious."**

"**What happened after?"**

"**I was taken to a warehouse and they began to question me and let me suffer their wrath. I was tortured so that I would lose control of my powers. When that began to stop working, they moved on to experimentation and took my blood and my saliva, plus a few strands of hair. It hurt but I stopped complaining. Then there were a few voices a few days later and they left me there while I was still bleeding. The police who found me took me to hospital and I have been here ever since."**

"**Jaden, I promise to never let anything like this happen to you again. From now on, your safety is my top priority."**

* * *

><p>"I guess I went too far with that vow huh?" said Yubel.<p>

Jaden was still staring into space but he shook himself and smiled slightly. "Maybe a little, but they did do some pretty horrible things to me."

"Yeah…"

"So ummm…. How were you able to communicate with me even though you were still Viper's prisoner?"

"Huh? Oh, I was able to communicate with you because our energies are bonded slightly anyway. The darkness connects us and I could feel your presence was near on the boat towards Duel Academy, which, by the way, is the best place for you, who came up with the idea to send you here?"

"My mother and the other Duel Monsters arranged it."

"Really! I must thank Burst; she always was the sensible one. I know you said that it was the others too but I know that she was the one who convinced them so I will thank her."

"I suppose. I don't really know because it was a surprise for me."

"Well then I know it was Burst, she never could ruin a surprise and she sure loves to see you smile. Do you smile for her?"

"Every day?"

"Good then, you'll have to tell me everything that has happened since I have been away."

* * *

><p><em><span>One of my longest chapters ever on Spiritual Bonds, hope you enjoy!<span>_

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	16. Nightmares

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

* * *

><p>Chapter 16<p>

Nightmares

Alexis was plagued with the dreams of her as a young princess, she had had them since she was little. But these one were clearer and she could feel a thrumming inside her very skin, as though there a fire that wanted to escape from the very depths of her soul.

* * *

><p>"<em>Alexis!" shouted a familiar voice. "Hey! Let's play another game, can we please?"<em>

_Alexis turned to see the familiar face of Cyber Tutu and smiled. Cyber always wanted to play and made her forget her duties as the princess. Though there were those little reminders, like the fact that Alexis always seemed to win even if she tried to Cyber win._

_There was something that made Alexis frown again and Cyber noticed. _

"_What's wrong Lex?" she asked. _

_Alexis began to show a few tears. "My father," she stated, simply, unwilling to let the tears fall._

"_What's wrong! Is he sick?"_

_Alexis began to calm down. "No, nothing like that. He just can be so cruel at times."_

"_What do you mean then, here come sit with me?" Cyber sat on the edge of a fountain in the palace grounds and Alexis sat next to her. _

"_My father can do some really cruel things at times and this was one of the lowest."_

"_What did his royal highness do? I remember him as a kind, caring man and with the biggest heart in the entire kingdom."_

"_Do you know of the prince in the neighbouring kingdom?"_

"_Oh yes," squealed Cyber Tutu. "Prince Jaden is a rather handsome boy and there are very few like him. I also heard he holds great power and that he is very sweet."_

"_Well, I know so little about him. We have never even met and my father wants me to marry him."_

"_Why is that a shock? I mean, you are a princess and it is expected for you to marry someone so eligible."_

"_My father could at least introduce us."_

"_He is going to; you just have to be patient. This is an arranged marriage and is very common among royals."_

"_What is he doesn't like me? Or I don't like him?"_

"_Alexis, I can tell that you will love each other, just look at yourself and wait till you see Jaden."_

_It was then that another familiar voice entered Alexis's dreams. _

"_Alexis… Alexis…" it whispered._

* * *

><p>Alexis woke up with a start and quickly scanned her room: No-one here, which was good.<p>

Still, she should get up as class was going to start soon and there was no point in getting only a five-minute-catch-up. She was walking to the showers, when she spotted Jaden walking to the boys' ones, smiling brightly for the first time in a while. There was a clear spark in his eyes, that only a blind man would not be able to see it.

This made Alexis's day and pretty soon the dream was forgotten. There was nothing that was going to spoil her day for today.

There were no people in her day-dreams, only bright colours and Jaden gave them some great news at the dinner table in the Slifer dorms, Yubel was back and there was a party to be had.

A quiet one mind; Jaden was still not used to the amount of people that were nice to him.

At the party, Alexis never pondered what she had dreamed and neither she nor Blair looked at each other, for there was something amiss that they could not put their fingers on.

Esmerelda showed up at the party too. It was being held in the Slifer Cafeteria and all the Slifers, plus Jim, Jesse, Jaden, Alexis, Chazz, Bastion, Syrus and Hassleberry, were there. There was cake, balloons, plus Jaden had given them a rather special treat.

"Hey everyone," he called. "Can you place all your Duel Monster cards on the table please? I think that we can say hello to them."

Everyone gave him a confused expression, apart from Esmerelda, but they all did as they were told and placed all their monster cards on the table. Jaden closed his eyes and opened them to show them flashing bright gold, then all the monsters came to life and appeared in flesh form.

This made the festivities even weirder and more fun. There was excitement, with the promise of a bright future. People got to meet the monster that the party was for and Yubel spoke to them in kind.

"You're Yubel sure is a hoot right Jay!" exclaimed Jesse of over the noise of cheeriness and laughter.

"Yeah Jess, I can't believe how many people love her. I thought I was being biased," said Jaden.

"Nah! She's a right laugh and she really cares about people, especially you, which reminds me: she sent me over here because she wanted you to know that your energy is really draining. I think it's time that everyone says goodbye for now."

"Yeah. Alright then, I'll let everyone know."

There was some disappointment, but understanding; Jaden was tired and he needed to let the spirits return to their original forms, it was only temporary so that the Duel Monsters could play.

Once that was all over, everyone retired for the night.

But the night was far from over.

Jaden retired to his dorm after the long day, he felt good to be back in his Blue Dorm with its comfy beds and there was no stopping him entering the land of dreams. He had asked his spirits to get some rest too, as they also had a long day.

His dreams quickly went from good to confusing.

* * *

><p>"<em>Father? Must I marry a person whom I have never met?" asked Jaden. <em>

_A man wearing formal robes and a crown was looking at the boy who had called him father. _

"_My son," he said. "I care for you deeply and know that you would rather marry someone who wasn't a stranger to you. But for the benefit of our kingdom we must put our personal feelings aside."_

_Jaden scuffed his shoes on the polished wooden floors._

"_When will she be coming?" he asked._

"_She will be here in a few minutes."_

"_I need to see Yubel and prepare for her arrival then, do you mind?"_

"_No. I will explain to her your situation."_

_Jaden ran up the stairs and into his room. It was a spacious room with a king size bed and many figurines that people had given to him as gifts, though some he had carved himself. Each of the figurines depicted a Duel Monster and the prince never tired of looking at them. _

_There was one that captured his attention more than others: a gift from his father, the Yubel figurine captured her beauty to a fine detail. The artist that had carved it had asked to see Yubel personally and had talked to her about her likes and dislikes. It was as if her very soul had been carved into the figurine. _

_Speaking of Yubel, she had just appeared on the bed, her wings tucked in the shoulder blades of her back. Jaden looked at her for a few seconds and then ran over to her in a run and hug. _

"_Ya' know that it is improper for a prince to giggle like a girl every time he sees his friend. You're going to get a bad reputation," said Yubel._

"_I know but there are some friends that are more special than others, besides who cares what others think?" asked the prince. _

"_Jaden you need to act proper, especially towards your new fiancé."_

"_So you heard about that huh?"_

"_Who didn't, but why is that such a problem?"_

"_You mean you approve?"_

"_She will be a good wife and a good mother. She is kind, fair, just and beautiful. I am personal friends with her friends. She will be good to you and will strive to make you happy. But you must treat her with her respect as she is quick to temper."_

"_But you approve."_

"_I don't understand."_

"_You mean that you don't mind that my time will be preoccupied with someone else and that I will be married to someone else."_

"_Ah! That's what this is about Jaden. We definitely need to talk if that is the case."_

_She gestured for the prince to come over to the bed and took his arms, guiding him to sit on her lap. _

"_Jaden," she said. "I gave my humanity willingly, though everyone knew the amount of grief that it would cause you. My reasons were simple: I would never betray you and would strive to protect you. Our relationship was pleasurable and that is something we will never forget, but it would be poor repayment if we forgot our duties, don't you think?"_

_Jaden just nodded. _

"_Jaden, I know that you are still upset about this, but there is no reason to be. You will meet the princess and there will be no reason for tears. My only wish is to see you happy again. You must remember a relationship isn't something that is based on the physical. Take away that side and you are left with a friendship so strong that it can break the bounds of reality. That is what love is."_

"_Then what is the point to the physical side Yubel?" asked Jaden, a few unshed tears in his eyes. _

"_A physical relationship is just an expression of love, though truly it is something you feel beneath your skin. Also, nature is the reason for it. Children don't come from thin air."_

_Jaden blushed with embarrassment. "I'd better find something suitable to wear."_

_Yubel just smiled at him and said, "Make sure that you remember what I said."_

_Jaden put on his royal robes and went down the stairs to greet his father's guests. As soon as he found the doors to the throne room, he hesitated. _

"_Just remember what Yubel said. Who knows, maybe I will want to marry this girl," Jaden whispered to himself. _

_This was when one of the guards entered the hall to see Jaden. _

"_There you are your highness," said the guard. "Your father wants to see you and the guests are here."_

"_Inferno Wing, I am afraid," said the prince. _

_Inferno Wing just stood there and looked at him with a questioning stance, the spear nearly poking her beak. _

"_I am afraid that this girl will not like me and that Yubel is hurting at the prospect of me marrying her."_

"_Have you talked to Yubel about this?"_

"_Yes I have, but I fear she will not tell me the truth."_

"_My prince, the truth from our friends may seem biased, but the truth of the heart never is. You will get along nicely with this girl and she will not hate you for something she had no reason to."_

"_But it is my fault!"_

"_I don't understand."_

"_I am forcing into a relationship without thinking. I know that I did not plan this, but had I not been born then she would have no reason to marry a total stranger!"_

"_Golly my prince," said the voice of a young girl. "When they said you were kind hearted they weren't exaggerating."_

_Jaden turned faster than the eye could see. There, standing in the doorway, were his parents, Yubel and three people he did not know."_

"_Oh Henry!" squealed the elder woman, "You were not kidding when you said he was handsome, he'll be perfect for our Alexis. Look at those eyes; so bright and the colour in his cheeks is so vibrant but you can still see the blush."_

_Jaden tried to cool his flamed cheeks, they were flaming because of the staggering beauty of the princess; the one they called Alexis. She had dirty blonde hair that had a polished sheen to it and her eyes were vibrant and alive. Yubel was not kidding when she said that he would love her when he saw her. He was wondering how it was possible not to love her. _

"_Hey, I'm Prince Jaden," he said, offering his arm._

* * *

><p>Jaden's eyes snapped open.<p>

"Alexis," he whispered into the darkness.

Then he blinked and realised there was something wrong: this was not his room.

* * *

><p><em><span>I know people hate cliff-hangers, but they are the focal point to any story. They are what gives us out suspense and our want for a continuation, please review; anonymous accepted. <span>_

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	17. Captured

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

* * *

><p>Chapter 17<p>

Captured

This was not his room.

Where was he?

How did he get here?

All these questions and still no answers, all he knew was this: he was lying on a steel morgue table, his arms, legs and torso strapped onto it. His movement was limited but he could still turn his head to look around, but it was dark.

Not a problem for someone with the power of darkness.

He focused his dark energy to his eyes and then looked around, his eyes now the golden colour of his ancestor. He looked and saw that he was in a strange operating theatre. There were three needles on a small table, each filled with a different colour liquid.

There were two doors leading out of the room, a light coming from one and the other appeared to lead to a storage space. A heart monitor was hooked up to Jaden and a light was hovering over him.

Suddenly the light glared at him and to men entered the room.

"Ah good, he appears to have woken up," said one, he was wearing a white lab coat and had white hair and a beard but appeared to be quite young.

Jaden tried to speak but quickly found that he had been gagged with black duct tape. So he tried to speak with it on.

"Hmm hrr hoo? Heer hm hi?"

"Sorry Jaden, but we have to make sure that you don't make too much noise so that the People of the Flamed Phoenix can't find you," said the other, he too looked young but had blonde hair and was wearing a black suit with no tie or bow.

The scientist made sure that the gag was on securely before introducing themselves.

"I am Dr Marcus Flint and this young man is Phillip Norton. We have brought you here to run a few tests. Don't panic; they will do no serious harm."

But Jaden still panicked and began to thrash against the bounds that tied him to the bed. He knew that it would cause chaffs and bruises and that he would not escape but he didn't care; right now it was the effort that made him never give up hope that he would be found.

The men just looked at him with an expression of pity before Dr Flint gripped Jaden's arm and eased him back onto the bed. Jaden looked at his with wide eyes but the Dr just smiled at him.

Dr Flint went to the table to grab one of the needles; this one was filled with a blue coloured liquid. He looked at Jaden and then sighed.

"Where is the IV?"

Phillip turned around and grabbed the IV that was behind him; together the two men lined it into position before the doctor placed two venous cannulas in Jaden's arms and then attached the IV to one of them.

Once that was out of the way, Dr Flint then injected the needle into the other cannula. Jaden squirmed to get away, but it was no use and it wasn't before the liquid entered his bloodstream.

The effect took a little way to have much of a kick, but once it did, it came with a vengeance.

Jaden felt his body begin to convulse and the heart monitor began to spiral out of control. How it kept up with his erratic heart was a mystery. The monitor screamed and then went silent, then the steady beats of his heart was picked up again. He slowly felt himself sink back onto the bed, the restraints having caused his to heavily bleed.

Dr Flint and Phillip grabbed towels and mopped up the blood that had spilt. They were both in shock; they were not expecting anything like that. They attached plasma like liquid into the IV and the doctor injected morphine into Jaden. Jaden's eyes drooped and he fell asleep, his world becoming a blank darkness.

* * *

><p><em>Jaden was standing in his mind, the shadows giving him comfort in his darkness. <em>

"_Who are they? What do they want?" he asked himself. _

"_They are the shadows that haunt your every nightmare," said a voice. "They are your light and the beings that drain you. But they are merely mortals and can be easily dealt with. If you will let me, we can be all powerful and easily crush the ones that hold you."_

_A figure stepped out of the shadows. He was clad in spiked armour and had a regal air to him. _

"_Who… who are you?" said Jaden timidly._

_The figure looked at him with an observing expression and then he cocked his head to the side. He smiled and said "Jaden I am you, I am The Supreme King."_

_Jaden took a slight step back in shock, but he caught himself and looked at the figure right in the faceplate._

_The figure then took the helm of the faceplate and lifted it to unveil himself. This made Jaden fall in shock, for the figure looked exactly like him other than the golden eyes of his powers. _

"_I said that I was The Supreme King. I am not one who lies, that is usually you my other half."_

"_I don't lie," said Jaden._

"_You lie to yourself when you try to say that you are normal or that you can be cured. There is no cure for what you are; you knew that when you begged for the power to go away as your father beat you to near death."_

"_That was a mistake, I could have controlled it."_

"_You could not have, I was the one who was in control. The power that you tap into is mine, but the power I tap into is yours. We are one and the same and not like these pathetic mortals."_

"_You're just bitter!"_

"_Bitter?"_

"_We know about The Supreme Queen!"_

"_Ah… her… she was a magnificent beauty and a fine person. She would have made a great queen, but she did not survive and neither did I. Then we wait thousands of years and what do we find?"_

_Jaden looked at him confused. The Supreme King sighed. _

"_I'll tell you then; I find out that she has not reincarnated and that I will never see her again. Do you have any idea how that made me feel?"_

"_But she has been reincarnated."_

_There was pause then, "What?"_

_Jaden took a deep breath. "That is what we have been trying to tell you. She has been reincarnated and she is waiting for you. It is a choice, but I think it's a girl called Alexis and that is something to start on right?"_

_The Supreme King nodded his head, still in shock. Then he thought about what Jaden said and then his face cracked into a smile. "Jaden… he heh. She is still alive?" he was breathless with a smile on his face._

"_Yes," said Jaden, terribly confused. "She is still alive."_

"_She is still alive," The Supreme King nodded and closed his eyes. He looked unsteady so sank down onto the floor with his hand outstretched to catch him. _

"_Supreme King?" Jaden was looking at him with curiosity. "Are you okay?"_

_The Supreme King looked at him with wide eyes. He took a few gulps, but seemed to lose the ability to speak so he just nodded. _

"_Oh. Well in that case: can you get me out of here and out of the lab so I can get back to my friends?"_

_This seemed to make The Supreme King feel ashamed and he looked down at his hands which were placed in front of him. "No Jaden. I can't."_

_Jaden was still confused. "Can't?"_

"_Can't. I can get you out of the dream world but it would be a while until I can get you out of the lab."_

"_Why?"_

"_They have done something to us that makes it impossible to escape at the present time."_

"_But you can get us out of here?"_

_The Supreme King smiled along with Jaden; it was good to see him accept him. Then The Supreme King closed his eyes and concentrated, flinching slightly now and then as he did. Then the darkness engulfed Jaden and him..._

* * *

><p>...so that when Jaden awoke he was back.<p>

Jaden groaned and struggled once more against his bounds, but then relaxed when he knew that he would soon find a way to escape this prison and that it would do no good to waste his energy.

"Ah! It's good to see you're up. Now that you have woken, we can once again begin."

Dr Flint and Phillip were back and there were more experiments to come.

* * *

><p><em><span>I hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy typing it. I know that I look forward to reviews so please send me more. <span>_

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	18. Pain

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

* * *

><p>Chapter 18<p>

Pain

There was only one word for what Jaden felt: pain. The dull ache in his chest that panged even more whenever he thought of his friends was a pain. The cannulas sticking out of his arms were a pain. Plus the fact that his body ached from all the needles, wires, tubes and any other medicinal equipment you could think of.

Jaden tried to look at his two captures that had promised him no pain. Unfortunately, he was trapped beneath all the wires and he would die if not for the tube that pumped oxygen into his lungs.

His oesophagus burned with acid and dryness: they had force fed him when he wouldn't have eaten the food they gave him. He had a reason to not eat it though: last time, they had put some kind of drug in the food that had made him go unconscious for three hours.

"Yubel," he would whisper in his sleep, for he knew that she would be the only one who could help him.

There was no answer other than the steady drip, drip of the IV and the erratic beeping from the heart monitor.

The Supreme King appeared in the mirror, an echo only Jaden could see. He looked saddened that he could not help his vessel; he pressed his hand against the glass and gestured for the darkness to ease Jaden's pain.

It provided comforting warmth for Jaden, but could ease the stiff muscles and physical damage that had been inflicted; there was something keeping at bay.

Jaden stirred and woke up. He had fallen asleep after the doctor had injected something into his cannula.

Having seen Jaden wake up, Dr Flint looked at Phillip and gestured to fetch something. Dr Flint himself was checking Jaden's vitals.

When Phillip returned, he was holding the second needle that Jaden had seen when he first saw where he was; this one was filled with Green gloopy liquid, it looked like jelly in a tube but of a thinner consistency.

Jaden tried to struggle but he was tightly bound to the bed. Dr Flint took the needle from Phillip and pushed the plunger down a bit to get rid of the excessive air. Taking Jaden's arm, he stroked his hand and injected the substance into his cannula.

This one too had an interesting effect.

Jaden felt his limbs begin to shake, his heart rate slowed right down to a dangerous pace. After two minutes, he coughed, then the coughing became frequent and Phillip came over to him.

Jaden turned his head to meet with the young man and then vomited blood right onto his expensive suit.

Far from feeling sorry for the boy, Phillip threw a disgusted look and attempted to slap him. The doctor glared at him.

"If you want this to work Phillip, you mustn't let your anger cloud you," he said angrily.

Jaden was still throwing up blood, slowly chocking on it as he was lying down. Removing a key from his belt, Dr Flint then released Jaden from the restraints and helped him sit up, fetching him a bucket so that he would not spill blood everywhere.

After two minutes, Jaden stopped coughing.

There was blood all over him, all over the bed and all over Phillip. Jaden wanted to sleep, but they kept him awake so that there was a chance he would wake up again.

But the battle with his eyelids was not the only battle he needed to win. When stopped shaking, he was overcome with a rocking sensation. His whole body began to convulse. Visions appeared before his eyes; first memories, then something else.

He saw people dying, their lungs filled with the toxic smoke of a burning building. He saw an office with many people working, just before they died. Next they were in a morgue, their innards out on display as doctor plunged into them, looking for something.

Another flash, this one with writing: Danning's Estates.

Yet again: a bomb counting down their fates.

"What the hell was that?" yelled Jaden. "What just happened? Please tell me those people really didn't die!"

Dr Flint was worried. "What is it Jaden? What did you see? What do you mean? Who died?"

The terrified boy repeated what he saw.

Dr Flint looked impressed; they had finally reached a breakthrough. Even Phillip had a big grin on his face as he explained.

"Jaden, what you saw was a very big company that has threats at least once a week. The Danning's Estates is a big company and they have had at least two attacks. What you saw was a vision of another attack. This is great news!"

"Does this mean that you will tell people of the attack?" asked Jaden tentatively.

Phillip laughed out loud. "Oh no Jaden, I am far too busy and this is business. I did not plan the attack but I do not have plans to stop it. You can't either because you and the good doctor will be occupied."

Jaden felt a chill in his blood: Phillip knew what was going to happen and yet he was doing nothing to prevent it.

"Why won't you help those people?" he shrieked. "They have nothing to do with your business."

"And therein lies the problem," Phillip was smug. "You need to learn that there are too many people in this world, too many people that have nothing to do with you or your business. The survival of this world depends on those who can control _it_ and its population. You can't but I can."

"Is that why you kidnapped me? To get me to use my powers so that you can take over the earth!"

Phillip smiled. "Jaden you speak of a fairy tale, it's a little more complicated than that. Let me properly introduce ourselves," he gestured to Dr Flint. "I am Phillip J Norton: the CEO of the company Vivamus, a company that looks into paranormal activities, mainly psychic research."

Dr Flint frowned and stroked the boy's hand again, trying to calm the monitor which was beeping at an excessive rate. Phillip continued.

"That is Dr Marcus P Flint. He is the lead professor at a university that specializes in paranormal research which is owned by my company. We have been studying you and your history: your time at Dr Flannigan's hospital was no accident or fluke."

Jaden shivered as he began to reminise his time at that hospital.

* * *

><p><strong>Jaden had just turned 9 when he became part of Dr Flannigan's Hospital for Gifted Teens. The doctors had suggested that he attended after they had heard of the run-in with a bully that had resulted in the bully ending up I'm suspended animation until Jaden had calmed down enough to send him crashing to the floor and breaking his leg. <strong>

**The police had dropped him off at the front door. Waiting there was a woman in her twenties; she was tall, blonde with purple highlights and carefree blue eyes. **

**Jaden went up to her nervously. **

"**Hello," he said, looking to down at the floor, hoping to disappear beneath it. **

**The woman looked at him and smiled, her dimples showing. "Welcome to the hospital, you are Jaden Yuki I presume?"**

**Jaden just nodded.**

"**Excellent, I am Dr Evelyn Dorian. I am going to be helping Dr Flannigan with her research. You are really going to like it here; we arrange to have the best care possible for our patients and we make sure that all our patients are fully surveillance so that they are kept safe."**

**Jaden just nodded. **

"**We also have about forty different patients, each one differing in psychic abilities and potential. Dinner is at six, but you can choose to have it in your room or in the food hall."**

"**Thank you," Jaden finally spoke. "It really seems like a nice place that you have here and I would prefer to eat alone if that is okay?"**

"**Of course," Dr Dorian smiled. "I know that you have had a rough time with your abilities, most of our patients experience some kind of trauma, but through careful prodding and helpful support, we find that most of the patients gain enough courage to enter the hall and meet the other patients. They even make friends."**

**Jaden grimaced. While it was likely that he would meet people who would understand, he theorised that it would be a while until he could make friends: they just wouldn't be able to adjust to the force of his powers. **

"**You are aware that I have a high level of psychic abilities and powers?" he asked timidly, trying not to seem as though he was bragging. **

**Dr Dorian finally changed her expression, from a smile to frown. "Yes. We were hoping that you would care to enlighten us with that so that there are no problems with that in the future."**

"**Why would there be problems in the future?"**

"**Well, we are hoping that there are none. But there is the fear that you will lose control and that is never a wise thing for someone at your level. You just have to be more careful than others, that's all."**

"**Oh. Is there anything else?"**

**Back to the smile. "Yes Jaden there is more. Dr Flannigan is actually away for the weekend so you will be having no tests and have the chance to settle into your new home."**

"**Does this mean that I can't go home?"**

**This time, a look of sorrow. "No Jaden. You won't have to live here forever. The court has only insisted on three months. You will then go home, but I thought that you would not want to."**

"**Why wouldn't I?" **

"**Jaden, please do not insult our intelligence. We know that your father has been abusing you since the age of seven. Will you just let us help you? By the way, welcome to your room!"**

**They had reached a door near the main entrance. Everything looked white and sterile in the hospital, but not the rooms. Jaden's room, for example, was crimson red with a dash of black here and there. **

**Jaden looked at his room in awe. All his belongings had been brought here and they had already put away his clothes a dressed his bed. Taking one of his books from the bookshelf in the room, Jaden jumped on the newly made bed and began to read. He could smell the clean, crisp scent of the fabric as he jumped on it.**

**When Jaden's weekend of settling in was over, Dr Flannigan came to his room. She had read the report and was eager to get started. **

**They went through test after test and eventually Jaden came out of his room to greet the other patients. It was then that he met Chazz.**

**Chazz was screaming at Blair as she dragged him into the hospital, Jaden was in the reception area awaiting a package from his mother. **

"**I DO NOT BELONG HERE, LET GO OF ME!" screamed Chazz.**

**Jaden looked up and saw his struggles. He smiled sadly at them and looked at Blair. Upon catching sight of his eyes, Blair released Chazz. **

**Blair looked and squealed when she saw who Jaden was. Jaden smiled at her and attempted to escape the fan-girls that had managed to sneak into the hospital. He succeeded after closing his bedroom door. **

**After spending four months at the hospital, Jaden began to think of a different life outside the hospital. He then had enough of the longing to be away from his differences, so he packed up and left the hospital while everyone was asleep. **

* * *

><p>Dr Flint tried to soothe the struggling boy, but Phillip just laughed cruelly and left them to their own devises.<p>

"I can't stay here!" begged Jaden to the doctor.

Dr Flint was sad. "Jaden the decision is not up to me, please don't make this harder on yourself. The last thing you need is more problems, or worse: Phillip as your enemy."

Jaden just let the tears fall as he stared at the door that led to freedom.

* * *

><p><em><span>Finally this chapter is done. Thank the Gods and Goddesses, it took forever.<span>_

_Please review. _

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	19. Freedom

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

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><p>Chapter 19<p>

Freedom

Jaden grew concerned when he found that there was no-one coming to the lab that afternoon, but he did not know that Phillip had a conference and would not return until later in the evening.

Dr Flint came over though, at four o'clock and Jaden had his routine check-up to make sure that he was getting sustenance and that there was nothing with the equipment.

"How are you today Jaden?"

Jaden knew that he was trying to make conversation, but really: 'how are you?' He just glared at the doctor, a glare that told Dr Flint that he was not in the mood for pleasantries.

The doctor blushed then coughed. At eight o'clock, Phillip returned from his meeting and came to the lab. He beamed when he saw that everything was ready upon his arrival.

"Ready Jaden?"

Jaden shook his head vigorously, the gag adding a bitter taste to his mouth.

Dr Flint flinched as the needles dug deeper and created wider wounds, dripping blood onto the table and the floors.

Phillip growled at him and Dr Flint desperately tried to comply; restraining Jaden was the only thing they could do to stop the blood loss, but it was like the boy wanted to die.

Jaden thrashed some more, but then froze when he saw Dr Flint approach him, syringe in hand.

"No!"

The doctor ignored him and looked at Phillip worriedly. Phillip gave him a smile and a nod, encouraging him to proceed.

He grabbed the cannula that was in Jaden's arm and injected a red liquid that looked like blood. Jaden jumped: they weren't actually going to inject real blood into him were they?

"Relax Jaden," soothed the doctor. "This is the last of the tests that we are going to perform at the lab. If you pass, you'll get a… surprise."

Jaden did not like the sound of that or the hesitation and tried to back out by beginning to thrash again.

Phillip looked annoyed and Dr Flint injected Jaden before things really got worse.

At first Jaden relaxed, his body warming to the liquid that was now inside him. He felt his dark aura pulsating around him. He was comfortable and then the urge to be free caused him to come out of his comfort zone.

But how could he— wait a sec! Was he actually asking himself this? Seriously? The fact that he didn't have the power to free himself was… laughable.

The Supreme King appeared in his mind and vigorously shook his head, looking worried. Jaden laughed, an evil cold laugh that made the doctor look at him in horror and Phillip look at him in confusion.

"What have we done?" whispered Dr Flint.

Darkness covered the boy and Jaden knew no more. All he knew now was that he was safe.

* * *

><p>When Jaden woke up, he was home. His duel monster cards were by his bedside table and he himself was on the bed, looking at the ceiling with his hands on his heart.<p>

He tried to move, but found himself restricted to the twitching of his limbs. He ached all over and his throat felt dry.

"Wher—" he coughed. "Where am I?"

"Jaden, are you alright?"

Jaden whipped his head, the muscles protesting and his bones cracking. He saw The Supreme King and Yubel looking at him in concern.

"Yeah I'm fine, but how did I get here?"

Yubel looked at him in worry. "You got here yourself. You just appeared out of nowhere. Where have you been! We have been looking for you everywhere!"

He looked around. "I just remember Dr Flint giving me that weird vial, the one that looked like blood. I tried to stop him but he caught me and stabbed me with the needle. Last thing I know, I feel warm and then wake up here."

"It worked then," the king looked like he was impressed, though only a little. "Good! I thought that it might not. I thought that you would have a nasty reaction to it after the other two that you had."

Yubel whipped her head to glare at him. "What do you mean? Who did this! Tell me and I shall tear them limb from limb! What happened here!"

"What we have here is a case of paranormal research. The tests that Jaden took differ depending on his level of power and where he draws it from. I took his memories of the even that happened with the last test so that he would not know what happened."

"And why is that?" Alexis asked quietly as she entered the room.

The Supreme King looked at her, his eyes filled with emotion. "Well, Jaden here has suffered more than his fair share of pain. I only thought to take away some of it so that he can rest for now. I know that having permanent amnesia does no-one any good, but you need rest."

Jaden tried to shake his head, but his neck was too stiff. Alexis smiled at him and pushed him under the covers, then gestured for all the spirits to follow, including those from the cards that were not in Jaden's current deck.

It was in the Obelisk arena that she confronted them.

"Okay Supreme King, what is the deal with all the niceties? I thought you hated Jaden."

The Supreme King looked uncomfortable. "_I have no idea what you are talking about. All I know is that I never said that I hated Jaden, just did not like the pleasantries that he presented our enemies and the fact that he longed to fail_."

Alexis looked angry. "But you never said that liked Jaden and the fact that you treated him horribly was enough to give us the suspicions that you hated him."

"_Ya know she has a point your highness_," said Burstinitrix.

"_Oh let it go Burst, you don't want to get in trouble with the prince of hormones himself_."

The Supreme King gave Avian a dark look, while Burstinitrix giggled behind her hand. Yubel looked from monster to spirit, human to monster. She knew that they would demand that she picked a side, but right now the concern was Jaden.

"_So what happened to Jaden then your majesty?_"

"_Jaden was abducted by two scientists. They took him in the middle of the night. He was taken to a basement that had been converted into some sort of van. They ran three tests to determine his psychic powers, the usual tests. They also had equipment to measure the results_."

"_My dear old friend, why did you let them continue their torture? You of all people and spirits should know what those tests mean and how much suffering they cause_."

"_I did not want to let them continue and Jaden was asking for my help. But the tests also restrained me from intervening. I could only provide comfort from the pain. I only hope that the memory wipe remains effective_."

"_Why, for the love of darkness, would you put a memory wipe on him?_"

"_I did it so that he would not be traumatized by the fact that he actually nearly killed someone Yubel. I know that Jaden is a big boy now, but there are some things that you just can't handle: everyone has limits, I found Jaden's_."

Yubel narrowed her eyes, but nodded.

Alexis looked at the king. "Why can I see you and why do you look at me so strangely?"

The Supreme King had kept glancing at her, as though he was a blind man seeing for the first time. He shrugged his shoulders and continued his frequent glances. Alexis huffed and walked off. The spirits vanished.

Alexis went back to Jaden's room to find him sleeping so peacefully that she thought that her heart would cry. He reminded her so much of her brother that she told herself that she would watch over him while he slept.

"Atticus," she whispered as she tucked a bit of hair behind Jaden's ear.

Jaden stirred a bit and then mumbled, "No Phillip, don't let them get hurt."

Alexis frowned: who the hell was Phillip?

* * *

><p><em><span>I think I should end it there. I would like to write more but it just won't fit with the chapter.<span>_

_So for now, please, please, please review. I only have about 56 reviews and I am thirsty for more. _

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	20. What Happens In The Heart

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

* * *

><p>Chapter 20<p>

What Happens in the Heart

Alexis thought back to when Jaden had whispered that name. It had been three weeks now but that didn't sway her curiosity. She was determined to find the cause of his distress.

She went to look the man that Jaden whispered, but all she had was the first name: Phillip.

Typing the word into Google, she found out that there were many famous Phillips, but one caught her eye.

Phillip J Norton: CEO of Vivamus

Alexis clicked on the link and found a whole page on what the company studied.

**Vivamus studies the science of paranormal and supernatural worlds and abilities. We pride ourselves in the development of these studies and the development of weapons using these abilities. **

**Our speciality is psychic research which is filed under the Genesis project. Our treatment of the subjects is subjective, but we make sure that the basic needs are assessed. Vivamus is not responsible for the deaths of these subjects and therefore has release forms stating this. **

**All our subjects are preserved in their healthiest state. Not one is over the age of 65 or under the age of 10. Case files of each of our subjects are stored with restricted access, some can be accessed via link. **

**Duel Monster abilities are taken into account and an arena has been set up for these special subjects, click here for more info.**

**We have rooms to provide the comfort of our subjects and special hospitals to monitor them. Click here to view. **

**Our special labs are updated monthly and the have been inspected for even the tiniest flaws. Click here to see more.**

There were pictures of people smiling and hugging each other, but the words still ran a chill through Alexis's spine. The whole 'our treatment of the subjects is subjective' thing was creepy.

She clicked on the link to view the labs and scrolled through to find the main one in Boston. It looked clean and spacious but she doubted Jaden had been taken there.

There was no link to sign up the hospitals, the subjects came by referral according the site. According to the site, Dr Flannigan's hospital was owned by the company.

Alexis decided that she would be the best one to talk to about Jaden's disappearance. She deleted her history and logged of her laptop. Placing the laptop under her bed, she left the room and went down out the dorms to the nurse's office in the main building.

She found the doctor there, alone.

Dr Flannigan looked up at Alexis and smiled, but Alexis kept her expressions to herself and locked the door. The doctor looked at her confused but she did her best not to turn and greet her.

"Did you know of the company Vivamus?" Alexis whispered to the doorknob, her eyes closed and her posture unmoving.

Dr Flannigan was still confused. "I know of them, but what does that matter?"

"Do you know the CEO?"

Dr Flannigan's mouth cracked into a smile. "Phillip? Oh yes, he was a charming man. I haven't spoken to him in years, but we both had the same interests. I was the doctor in charge of the hospital he had set up, I knew there were others though. Why do you ask?"

"Jaden won't talk to me about it, but he whispers Philip's name in the middle of the night when he sleeps. I think that Philip had something to do with his disappearance."

"You mean kidnap? Alexis that is very serious accusation, Philip is a nice man and you don't know him. Plus, do you have any evidence."

"Just what Jaden does in his sleep and the fact that Philip has a thing with people with powers."

"Alexis, there are many people with an interest in difference. I myself am one of them, but that doesn't make me capable of kidnap. Maybe you should talk to Jaden and get a confirmation before you start pointing fingers."

"I don't think that Jaden would tell me, he barley spoke a word about the relationship strain with his father."

"It was more than a strain, but I see what you mean." She heaved a sigh. "Alright Alexis, Phillip was not always a kind man I'll admit. He showed some obsession with the work and seemed to have a particular interest with Jaden when I brought the file over for him to check."

"Did he say anything about it? Anything particular?"

"Not really, no. He just ran over the file and wanted an update with the tests that were run. When I provided them, he would scour them for the slightest mistake but he never found one. When Jaden left the hospital, he spent millions trying to find him."

"What happened when Phillip found him again?"

"That is something that I do not know. I had left the hospital by then and started working on my own."

"So did you see Phillip after that?" Alexis had finally turned to face the doctor. To say she was upset was the understatement of the century.

Dr Flannigan looked at her sadly. "No. I did not. I trust him, but I have felt uneasy about him. Always this feeling has been."

Alexis was determined. "How do I found him?"

Dr Flannigan's head went back in shock. "Find him? Why on earth do you need to find him? I thought that Jaden was here and that he was safe."

"Jaden will never be safe with creeps like that around, how do I find Phillip Norton?"

Dr Flannigan just stared at her. "It cannot be done; no-one has ever had him arrested although many have tried."

"I thought you said that you trusted him?"

"Alexis, Phillip is dangerous. I didn't want to alarm you. When Jaden was in my care though, I managed to keep that boy safe. I will not fail again."

"Just tell me where Phillip is, he won't be hurting anyone when I'm through with him. I'll tell Blair that she can help, maybe she will convince you. She was on the front cover of those articles when they said about the standards of the hospital. You, her and Phillip."

"Phillip will never want to see Blair again."

"Why the hell not."

"Alexis, I had more of a relationship with Phillip than you can imagine. I shall leave you to work out what kind."

She showed Alexis to the corridor again. Alexis stared at the re-closed door for a few moments and then went to check Jaden.

Jaden was trying to sleep in his dorm. He tossed and turned on his over-comfy pillows. His spirits watched helplessly, while Alexis tried to soothe his arms and stroke his hair.

It was all in vain, Jaden was too deep in his nightmares. Reliving the waking ones.

Alexis put her hand on his arm; it was gleaming with sweat and had paled in his illness. She watched as the bottom of his lips quivered as his eyebrows pulled into a frown.

Jaden was a good sleeper, by some accounts. He would fall into a comatose like state whenever he wanted and was almost impossible to wake up. Syrus had once gotten hit as his friend dreamed about the game he loved.

Wherever this dream was, it was not in Jaden's happy place.

"Jaden, why won't you tell us what's wrong and who took you?" whispered Alexis. "We are your friends; we would always stay by your side."

"_Unfortunately Alexis, there are some forces that can never be beaten…"_ a quiet voice trailed.

Alexis felt the back of her neck crack as she turned to face The Supreme King and Esmerelda were standing in the doorway, staring down at Jaden's unconscious form.

Jaden lay as still as a corpse at the sound of The Supreme King's voice. His face no longer twisted in pain. Alexis was confused.

"_I have placed him in a dreamless sleep," _explained the king. _"My connection with him enables me to do so quite easily. Jaden will not be harmed in his dreams."_

"Why would you do that, you still haven't explained why you don't treat Jaden like dirt any more. Not really. It was like that you hated the mere sight of Jaden and then you became the brother he never had. It's weird."

The Supreme King chuckled. "_Oh Alexis, it is so like to be so observant."_

"What do you mean? YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME!"

"_Oh contraire, I know you too well. I knew you before you were even in this present carnation. It is not my fault that you are not aware. Perhaps your counterpart is having trouble, because she certainly wasn't shy."_

The whole time he was speaking Alexis's mouth dropped further and further. She knew that Jaden was not the type to tell her things, but even she knew that he would never break a secret.

She had once cornered Jaden about her fears on the identity of The Supreme Queen. She had begged him not to tell anybody, not even the spirits he could see. Jaden said he would try. But this new revelation meant she may get answers.

"Does this mean that I really am The Supreme Queen?"

The king just nodded and smiled at her. Alexis looked sad and stared at the door where Jaden slept. They had walked into the hallway to talk.

Esmerelda placed her hand on Alexis's shoulder. The warmth of her outer energy provided comfort for the confused Obelisk.

Esmerelda spoke quietly. "Alexis, I am going to need you for a few tests to see what really happened to Jaden. I know that you think that he has been through enough but these tests will make us certain that no harm has come to him."

Alexis just whispered, "Tell me what I need to do."

* * *

><p><em><span>Hope you liked the chapter,<span>_

_Please, can anyone review anonymous or no. I can't be a better writer if I don't have those opinions and tips. Flamers not accepted or tolerated. _

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	21. The Test

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

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><p>Chapter 21<p>

The Test

Alexis waited, poised for the challenge she was about to face. She had been waiting for Esmerelda on the academy main stairs, waiting for the girl to tell her when she was ready.

"I'm ready," squealed Esmerelda, bouncing into the room.

The Supreme King scowled at her.

Esmerelda took Alexis by the arm and guided her to Jaden's room like they were best friends. Alexis struggled to get past the uncomfortable-ness of it but Esmerelda paid her no heed.

Jaden was lying there. His eyes were closed, but he looked to be at peace. He sometimes groaned and frowned but they were infrequent. It was like he was dreaming of a typical day.

Esmerelda had stationed the bedside table at the foot of the bed. On the table were a bunch of strange looking instruments.

She held one of them up; it looked to be some kind of strange looking silver scales, but with no base and a pure black feather floating atop one of the scales.

"It checks to see if the darkness has fully taken over," explained Esmerelda.

Alexis watched as she walked to Jaden and bend down to his level. She could not see what she was doing, but Alexis thought she heard the sharpness of a penknife being unsheathed and soft swipe of flesh being cut. Then there was that soft drip onto some kind of metal pan.

When Esmerelda pulled away, Alexis saw what confirmed her suspicions: Jaden's hand had a small slice that was weeping tiny amounts of blood. Esmerelda had collected his blood onto the other scale.

The scale glowed, but remained steady and the black feather didn't make any movement at all.

Esmerelda breathed a sigh of relief and Alexis took this as a good sign.

Jaden stirred a tiny bit in his sleep, but soon etched a smile on his face. His hand dragged over his eyes like he was going to rub them.

Alexis smiled, happy he did not notice. Esmerelda noticed and explained.

"I put him in a trance, so he doesn't notice what we are doing because some of the stuff that we are going to do may worry him."

Alexis looked at her in worry too. But she just laughed and pulled the second instrument on the table up to eye level.

It was a clear vial that she just held there like it was a prize jewel. But when she carefully shook it, Alexis could see some kind of silver liquid shimmering inside.

Esmerelda whispered reverently. "Spirit blood: quite rare and very powerful stuff. I managed to get a hold of it by asking Yubel to pour some of hers. She was more than happy to help."

"How can spirit blood be rare?" Alexis was confused.

"Not all spirits can produce blood and to get a hold of those that can is quite tricky. You need a skilled necromancer and a patient human spirit. Or one that was once human yet turned into a duel monster."

"Like Yubel?"

Esmerelda nodded.

"So you asked her to give her blood to you why?" asked Alexis.

Esmerelda smiled a scheming smile.

"Because we are going to conduct another experiment on our dear friend here, I'm going to need you help on this."

They went over to the sleeping Jaden with Alexis looking suspicious. Esmerelda held the vial up to Jaden's lips and poured.

Jaden coughed and choked, Alexis grabbed his hand but felt a strange feeling. Soon her head felt as if it was splitting open and she felt herself falling.

She opened her eyes to glimpse a deep darkness, but a warm feeling like it was a safe place. Esmerelda was standing next to her and was nodding.

"I see that there is nothing wrong here. Though there are some troubling tremors, though it's understandable."

"What is this place?" Alexis whispered.

"This? Oh this is where Jaden's thoughts are stored; a part of his mind, if you will. This is also the place where his powers are processed and his thoughts and emotions are shown."

"So we are basically in his mind?"

"Yes!"

"Why am I here?"

"Spirit blood allows a person's mind to become open, but you need something stronger to actually enter."

"What is that?"

"All in due time, for now we need to get back."

When Alexis opened her eyes again, she was not surprised to find herself back in Jaden's room. But she was surprised to see that she was holding Jaden's hand comfortingly.

She stroked the back of it with her thumb and drew away. Jaden stirred a bit, but he still didn't wake. Esmerelda was already at the table again.

This time, she pulled out a sharp looking sword. It glowed a faint light blue. She hummed some kind of ancient song to it and the sword glowed even more. Esmerelda moved quickly, getting on top of the table and positioning herself so that the sword's hilt was above her head.

Before Alexis could register what was happening, Esmerelda jumped, plunging the sword into Jaden's heart.

The Supreme King and Alexis looked at her in shock and horror at what she had done, but then Alexis noticed that no blood oozed from Jaden's chest.

"Where's the blood?" she whispered.

Esmerelda smiled at the spirit and the girl.

"Before you jump to conclusions: no, I didn't kill him. That sword is a soul sword; it's used on a person to test their soul. It expunges any possession and tests to see if there is anything wrong with them that isn't natural."

"Where is the sword now?"

The sword had disappeared within Jaden, absorbed into his very skin. Jaden coughed then retched; a fountain of black tar-like liquid splattered the floor. Esmerelda ran over to her friend, the force of the sword having knocked her back a few feet.

She placed a hand over Jaden's forehead as he groaned and mumbled something incoherently. She looked at Alexis worriedly.

"Well, this is bad," she said.

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><p><em><span>I hope that you enjoy this and that you will stay tuned for the next chapter. <span>_

_Thank you so much for all the reviews, but I need more in order to be an accomplished writer. It's so easy, just click the review button and type whatever. But no flames, I come on this site to have fun and practise for my dreams, not to be bullied._

_I had enough of that when I was in school._

_Anonymous accepted._

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter _


	22. Guardian of the Spirits

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

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><p>Chapter 22<p>

Guardian of the Spirits

Esmerelda was already moving when she said those dreaded words; that this was bad. Alexis knew that Esmerelda was a necromancer and she would find very few things bad. The coughing of the black tar and the incoherent mumbling were enough to convince Alexis that she was right.

Something was very wrong with Jaden.

He was still coughing a bit but there was not left for him to cough. The black tar-like stuff was only coming out in drips onto the floor and now the bucket that Esmerelda had fetched for him.

"I have called a Guardian of the Spirits," she said when she put down the phone she had been on. "He should be here soon."

Alexis was still worried.

"What's going to happen to Jaden? What's wrong with him?"

"Don't worry Alexis, The Guardian of the Spirits will tell us all we need to know. I only called him because I am not qualified to look after Jaden at this precise moment. We need a professional in order to expunge the demonic presence that has claimed him."

"What!"

"It means that some kind of demon has possessed him and that those experiments have made it so that the darkness Jaden holds power over has taken over his soul. Jaden has a gentle soul that holds the power of darkness, but he does not have a dark soul."

"What?"

"It means that there is something wrong with Jaden's soul and some kind of spirit has taken it over."

"But didn't you say that the Soul Sword would have expunged that possession already?"

"No. I do not have the power to wield such a force, I merely told you how the sword would have helped him and what it could do. It is a matter of the person wielding the weapon as to how it is used."

"You just make no sense."

"I know. This is all very difficult to explain."

A bright archway appeared in the room, its white light adding a certain glow to everything in the room. Through the archway stepped a man wearing a long robe and walking with a limp. He held a staff made of some kind of golden wood. Alexis knew it was natural because the colours were highlighted with natural tones.

He took one look at the boy lying on the bed and shook his head. He reached over into Jaden's chest, his hand disappearing into Jaden's heart, a white glow appearing around the spot where his hand passed through.

Reaching in, the man pulled out the Soul Sword. He studied the blade that held the black goo that clung to the weapon like a lifeline, oozing slowly to the floor.

Jaden just twisted his body into a more comfortable position.

The man looked at the sword in disgust and approached Esmerelda.

"There is something there, but it is nothing to worry about. His own body will battle it and he will feel no pain. You can wake him up now."

Esmerelda nodded. "Thank you, I will."

Jaden eyelids fluttered when she finished speaking and he sat up on the bed.

Alexis smiled and went over to him.

"How are you feeling?"

Jaden looked around the room. "Fine."

Alexis placed her hand on his forehead. She frowned and pushed him back down on the bed, saying he should rest.

Jaden mumbled and went back to sleep.

Alexis looked at Esmerelda and smiled; they had finally accomplished something that could make Jaden's life that little bit easier.

"He's going to be okay right?" she smiled.

"Yes he's going to be fine," Esmerelda smiled back.

Alexis looked at the sleeping Jaden and sighed. Jaden seemed to be having no trouble sleeping and there were no grimaces in his expressions, but these could easily be faked. Jaden sure had enough practise to implement the techniques he had picked up.

"Is he faking it?" Alexis asked.

"Faking what?" Esmerelda's voice was distant.

"This," Alexis pointed at Jaden's peaceful face and stroked the curve lips. "Is he faking the fact that he has bad dreams? I sometimes catch him screaming in the middle of the night, but he has enough practise not to scream."

Esmerelda laughed. "You think that he can it in his sleep? Oh hell no, not even his old man could make him stop screaming in his sleep. No, he's fine. He's having good dreams, probably about a certain blonde that he's taken a fancy to."

Alexis blushed; she knew who Esmerelda was talking about. Unless there was a chance that Jaden had met someone back home. She asked Esmerelda about it, but the girl just laughed and walked out of the room.

The man who had come to save Jaden looked at him and then at Alexis, when he looked back at Jaden he smiled.

"So you're the one who has taken it upon herself to protect someone you barely know," he murmured.

Alexis coughed. "Actually I met him when I a few years ago. Jaden was in the police station on child abuse claims and I was there to help with the search for my brother who disappeared from the school. I offered to help Jaden's case and found out much information about him."

"Information and intelligence are something that is counted for too much these days," the man sighed. "People think that sheets of paper and academics can really help you in the real world. But the truth is that there are some things that can get you far, but not a Ph.D."

"What do mean?"

"Well, look at the social decline of today. We use computers to communicate but still rely on our basic instincts in order to protect ourselves from strangers and people we don't trust. With all the technology we have, we might lose these abilities."

"But there are people with disabilities in socialising and they get along just fine."

"In some cases, but they are of a higher risk than that of someone who does not have the disability. People take advantage of their innocence and naivety. There are those natural abilities that you don't even think about that they don't have. Imagine if everyone you saw looked like a threat?"

"I'd imagine it would be pretty tough but there are ways to detect a threat."

"Instinctive yes. You read the facial expressions and the body language to see what they are about to do. Each laugh to you is different and you can detect the emotions. But there are some that think that when someone laughs, it means that they are going to physically assault them."

"Why?"

"Just because they see the world differently to what we do. We all have abilities and disabilities, it's the extent of those disabilities that make us the targets of others enjoyment. But sometimes the abilities can make us targets too."

"Like with what Jaden can do?"

"Exactly. By the way, I do not think that we have been properly introduced. Eduardo Debouches, I am the Guardian of the Spirits."

"Alexis Rhodes," the two of them shook hands. "What do you do as guardian and why are you the guardian?"

Eduardo laughed. "I see that you are quite an inquisitive girl and that is something that can keep you open-minded. I was a born an average person, that is true. Though I have always possessed the ability to see spirits but nothing to cause alarm."

Alexis sensed a story and knew that he paused for a reason. But she thought that he could not do much harm so she pressed on. "Then what happened?"

He smiled. "I was walking home from a day in school. There was an elderly woman who was a ghost and she talked to me. She told me that she had something to show me and asked me to follow her. I went through a portal to this tropical oasis and she said that the People of the Flamed Phoenix would want to meet me and that I should wait there."

He had this distant look as he reminisced.

"I was but a boy and very much naïve on the world. When the Flamed came to me in the Oasis, I became scared and tried to run. But I was on an island in the middle of the ocean and they calmly waited until I returned. When I did, we talked. I was amazed by what they had to say."

Alexis went over to the bed and sat on it, bringing one leg up and holding it while Eduardo spoke.

"They told me that I was one of the few that was chosen to see, hear and touch spirits. They taught me many things about their culture and their heritage and of my abilities. They taught me everything they knew about the spirits. When they finished, I had matured into a man."

Alexis was confused.

"Time passes fast in the Oasis that I was brought to. I knew this from my teachings. By the time I left, I noticed that only a few hours had passed and I was fully mature in mind rather than body. My mother received quite a shock, claiming that I had only been gone those few hours. She took me to a psychiatrist and they tried to undo my teachings."

Alexis drew breath, not knowing the outcome. Eduardo had closed his eyes as he spoke.

"I ran away. My mother searched for me but I had grown wise and the forest had become my home. Instead of growing rabid, I was able to keep my sanity. I found out that my mid had another calling than that of the forest and followed the spirits back to the oasis."

He opened his eyes and smiled.

"I found that they had asked me to become their guardian, that they had asked the People of the Flamed Phoenix to find someone who would accept them and not run away from them. When I accepted, I returned to my family. I told them all that had occurred and was reacquainted with them."

"So why did you come to help Jaden if you are a Guardian of the Spirits?"

He chuckled at that question.

"Why help him? Because he and his mother met me many years ago when I was still patching things up with my family and I was intrigued by the boy. He and his mother were such strong souls and I felt it was my duty to protect these precious essences."

"Essence?"

"Another word for souls, they are the essence of who we are. I feel as though it is my time to leave now anyway. Take care Alexis Rhodes."

"Wait," Alexis reached to grab his arm as he turned and he looked at her with one eyebrow arched.

"Can you tell me if my brother is alright. You said that you are the Guardian of the Spirits so that must mean you can track souls too right?"

He nodded.

"I can, but I doubt that you would like my answer."

"Why?" Alexis clung on desperately.

"I have tried to free the boy," he tried to pat her arm, but couldn't seem to reach her as he was starting to fade. "Rest assured he will come home soon. But only the Darkness can save him."

He faded completely and Alexis felt as if she was alone all over again. But after taking one look at the sleeping Jaden on the bed, she realised that she would never be alone and there was no reason to give up hope.

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><p><em><span>Well I hope that you like it. But I am not psychic and I need those reviews in order to determine how you all feel and I do mean ALL.<span>_

_Anonymous accepted._

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	23. Finding Atticus

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

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><p>Chapter 23<p>

Finding Atticus

Jaden recovered quite soon after the whole ordeal with the soul sword and Alexis was well excited to tell him all that had gone on while he was in that state. He listened patiently and then frowned when she told him what the Guardian of the Spirits had said on her brother, Atticus.

"Are you sure that's what he said?" his tone serious. "That only the Darkness could save Atticus?"

Alexis smiled at him, but it was confused one.

"Yes, he did say that. But the point is, Atticus is alive and can be saved."

Jaden shook his head.

"Alexis, I don't think that you are grasping the situation properly here. Atticus can be saved by Darkness only. My power is the Darkness."

Alexis squealed.

"That's great Jaden, then you would know how to save him and you can since that is what the Guardian of the Spirits said."

He shook his head again.

"No Alexis. It means that there is a chance that your brother has turned towards the Darkness. It is a clouded side and that might mean that the Darkness would convince that he is a good ally and force him to do things against his will."

Now Alexis frowned.

"What does that mean?"

Jaden sighed as if this conversation was wearing him down and Alexis remembered that he was still sick from his incident. It was why they were having this conversation in his bedroom instead of at the Slifer dorm.

"It means that there is chance that Atticus is no longer the brother you once knew because the Darkness has feasted on his body and is bending his will. It may take more than just a talking to, to convince him to come home."

Alexis was saddened to hear this news, but remained optimistic. Even if Jaden was right, there was no way she was giving up on her brother.

"How can we help?"

Jaden smiled at the determination.

"We could always try; I am pleased to hear that your strength exceeds many. I think that the only way to get him back is to have a shadow duel when he appears. The Darkness loves a challenge and the game of Duel Monsters is something that it considers its greatest challenge."

Alexis was curious, but asked no more questions. Jaden looked tired, so she decided to let him have some rest and left the room. Jesse was waiting for her in the hall.

"How is he?" he asked.

Alexis smiled. "He seems better this morning. I think that he may be over that possession almost completely. Is there a reason why you are hanging out outside his room?"

Jesse laughed. "Oh ya got me! I came here because Jim said that Jaden was better today and I wanted a confirmation. His duel spirits have been hanging with mine, but they spend more time fretting and it makes me nervous. They haven't been right since he disappeared. Where did he go anyway?"

Alexis faltered, but then realised that she couldn't keep everything from him. "He was kidnapped by some tycoon. He and some kind of doctor wanted his powers."

Jesse wasn't even shocked. "Well, I hope there is a good case against him."

Alexis thought she misread. "You aren't even worried or shocked that someone would kidnap him?"

Jesse shook his head. "Nah! That's something they teach us to be careful of when they find out we have the 'gift'. What happened to Jaden doesn't come as a shock because we're used to it."

"How sad."

Jesse laughed. "Nah, just part of being different. It's a small price to pay, but we all manage."

"But that doesn't worry you that someone like that is out there, looking for Jaden. 'Cause I can guarantee that Jaden didn't leave there with an escort out the door."

"No, he probably did do a runner. But that's beside the point, he's here now and there is little chance of his kidnappers returning as they would realise that his spirits would be on guard. How did you know who kidnapped him anyway? I would have thought that Jaden would never tell."

"He didn't, The Supreme King did."

Jesse was in shock. "You're talking with him; I would have thought that you would have more sense than to talk about that psychopath."

"He's alright now; he was just a bit misunderstood."

"Misunderstood! He was a maniac! Granted, he has the cultural difference excuse, but he does not have the excuse to act like such a jerk, even with that difference."

Alexis laughed. "No that's true."

"I suppose that he just has the mourning excuse instead," said another voice.

Jesse and Alexis looked up to see Esmerelda walking towards them. She had come to check up on Jaden and was carrying some kind of crystal.

"Hey Alexis, Jesse, I wanted to know if you wanted to accompany me to Jaden's room, but I can see that this story desperately needs and ending and I am only too happy to help."

"Oh… we really don't need that kind of help Es," said Jesse, realising that she meant that they wanted answers to Jaden's incarnates past. "We just wanted to know if Jaden was going to be okay."

Esmerelda just shook her head and smiled. "You might not want answers Jesse, but I'm sure that Alexis does. She seems to be sceptical about The Supreme King's actions and is wondering the reasons to his behaviour; I am here to provide those reasons."

Alexis looked at Esmerelda and thought about this. She knew that she wanted answers but knew that opportunities to get them would be few; she knew she could not pass up this one.

"Why is The Supreme King mourning?"

"Well, you all know that The Supreme King died on the battle field, right?"

They both nodded, yes.

"And you know that his love was so close to him that she died a few days later, right?"

They nodded again.

"Well, The Supreme King is connected to her too: she is his true queen. When she died, they took hers, Yubel's and The Supreme King's body and transferred their spirits into other bodies. But there was confusion into where the spirits were transferred and the girl became stuck."

Now Alexis was confused. "What do mean by stuck?"

Esmerelda sighed. "She couldn't get out her inner spirit. She was forced to only transfer a partial part of her spirit and keep the rest stored in an island off the coast until the child reached its tenth birthday."

"But aren't I over ten?"

"You are and that is why the queen's spirit has been fully transferred. Unfortunately, so that your body does not go into shock, her spirit is now locked within you and cannot free itself without aid."

"But that doesn't explain why The Supreme King is in mourning."

"He is in mourning because he thought that the queen's spirit was not sealed within another, he could not feel it within your body. With the pressure of the seal within you, he had lost all hope of ever re-joining his love."

"That's so sad," murmured Jesse. "To think that all he wanted was his lost love, kind of poetic."

"Mm," Alexis looked at their destination and realised that they were walking to the school's main building.

When they reached the entrance, they found themselves surrounded by a brilliant light. It grasped them within its tomb and pulled them downwards, forcing them into unconsciousness. They woke to the sound of a familiar voice commanding them to get up.

"Atticus!" Alexis gasped.

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><p><em><span>I have much explaining to do, I know. I will go to the explanation of the Sacred Beasts and everything, but my mind just formed this way. Let me know what you think of my version but no flames. And I will be able to tell an insult from a comment, thank you, I am not that stupid. <span>_

_Anonymous accepted. _

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	24. Darkness At Its Source

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

* * *

><p>Chapter 24<p>

Darkness at its Source

"Atticus!" gasped Alexis. "What are you doing here?"

The man named Atticus did not even spare her a glance of recognition but pointed a finger at Jesse.

"You, get over here and tell me where Jaden Yuki is! Now!" he commanded.

Jesse glanced at Esmerelda, who nodded and watched as Jesse approached Atticus nervously. Atticus waited until Jesse had carefully manoeuvred himself around the rumbling volcano that Atticus had transported them to.

"Jaden Yuki isn't here, he is back at the academy," Jesse said nervously.

Atticus shook his head in disgust; this was going to be easier than he thought. But he didn't realise that there were still barriers to his goal, for Jesse had held his duel disk ready and waiting.

"But you will have to duel me and win in order to get to him!"

Atticus looked at the annoyance, amused by this thin veil of bravery.

"Very well then little one. I shall accept this little challenge, I could use a little warm-up."

Jesse tried to brush off the insult, along with his nerves, and stood to face his enemy and his opponent. But he knew that, not only was he loyal by blood, he was loyal by spirit. There wasn't a bone in his body that didn't shed an ounce of loyalty to any of his friends, especially not the timid little boy that had gone through so much.

"Game on!" they shouted.

**Atticus: 4000**

**Jesse: 4000**

"Here goes, I draw," started Jesse. "I summon Crystal Beast Emerald Turtle, then lay down two face downs. Now it's your turn house."

Atticus curled his upper lip. "I summon this little guy, which I can use as a sacrifice to summon the daddy."

But before Atticus could make his move, a ranging storm of fire covered the platform and surrounded the duellists.

Atticus tried to yell out, as did Jesse, but Alexis and Esmerelda could not hear them or help them out of the raging blaze. They were trapped.

Jesse clamed himself, took a deep breath and called to his Emerald Turtle, who nodded at him and covered the storm with his elemental water. Jesse was safe from the flames because water was one to triumph of fire.

But fire also fought well against fire and when the smoke cleared, Jesse saw that Atticus was unharmed.

"It appears that my master only wants me to duel Jaden; I shall wait a month and then see him here. Don't worry, he shall receive the message and we will continue this duel," he disappeared.

Atticus was gone.

Gone with a flash of fire, like the fire duellist he was.

Alexis dropped to the ground in disbelief; she had known her brother was alive, but could not believe he had become so unlike himself. He was not the free spirit she remembered, but the thug that he once protected her from.

She burst into tears, then shook herself. She was being silly, no amount of tears would save him. She would have to be strong and remain strong, like she had done and been before Atticus's disappearance.

She would have to do it, for her brother.

With that advice in mind, she set off with Jesse and Esmerelda, heading back for the Obelisk dorm.

When they came to the entrance of the dorm, Alexis stopped them.

"What do we tell Jaden?"

Esmerelda shrugged. "He will know anyway, best to let it slide for now. There is nothing we can do to prevent the inevitable no matter how much we want to."

Jesse was confused. "What do you mean inevitable."

Again, there was that shrug. Which meant that there was something hidden that they did not want to know. Problem was, there was a chance they would know soon.

Still, they had to remain strong for Jaden's sake. He would return to class very soon and they did not want to disrupt that.

Jaden looked at them when they came in. the collapsed onto the pillows again.

"What was it this time?"

Jesse laughed. "Nothing gets by you does it? We were attacked by Alexis's brother but then he left us without so much as a scratch. No big deal really."

Jaden nodded. "When does Atticus want to duel me?"

They jumped back, apart from Esmerelda, both Jesse and Alexis forgot that Jaden could read minds but he laughed at the expressions.

"I didn't read your mind that time, I just made an observation. It was kind of obvious."

They laughed and Alexis looked at him. "He wants to see you in a month. You know, I find it strange all this calm attitude towards everything. I guess I'm just not used to it."

Jesse laughed. "Like I said before Lex, there are many things that come with the 'gift' that you get used to pretty quick. Don't worry, other times, life with the 'gift' is a blast."

Alexis laughed. "I would love to see that day."

Jaden smiled at her. "That day may come soon. I can sense the power within you growing. I noticed that you had the power yesterday, but don't worry, I won't tell until you're ready."

Alexis smiled at him. "Thanks Jaden. It's nice to have the choice."

Esmerelda looked at Jesse and Alexis. "Well, anyway, shall we go?"

They both nodded and left the room, leaving Jaden to his thoughts and his memories.

He thought of the time that his father found out about his powers. That first time that he watched his mother wept as Henry beat Jaden until the boy could not move for weeks. The first time that the police were involved with the Yuki household.

* * *

><p><em>Jaden was watching the duel between a friend and a kid that had jumped them while they walked home from school. At only six years old, Jaden was too young to understand that not all fathers were good people. <em>

_Henry was watching from afar, excited to excite his son by walking him home from school. He prayed that his boy's friend would win, but he knew that he did not have Jaden's talent. Still, may God be merciful. _

_Jaden watched as his friend lost and the kid beat his friend relentlessly, not showing any pity. Jaden was saddened, but thought to save his friend. _

_He jumped between them and asked the boy to leave his friend alone. _

"_Make me!" _

_Jaden shrugged his shoulders. "If you insist."_

_He pushed the kid away, but not with his hands, instead he used his mind. Henry watched in horror as the boy was wrenched with such a force he slammed into the ground. _

_He got up, screaming that Jaden was a freak. Jaden's friend turned and thanked him for the save. _

"_Save!" screamed Henry in anger. "Jaden Yuki, you are coming home with me."_

_Jaden was grabbed by the arm and dragged home._

"_What did you do to that boy! Tell me now!" his father demanded. _

_Jaden explained that God had given him more than academic and duelling gifts. _

"_I have special powers daddy, God gave them to me."_

"_Do not blaspheme in this house."_

_Jade watched in horror as Henry took his belt and began beating Jaden._

"_Remove thyself from thy soul foul demon!" he screamed as he committed his deed. Jaden screamed at him to stop, but he did not. _

_Finally, the police came over and picked the little boy from the bloody pool on the floor. He was taken to hospital and remained there for a week. Henry was arrested, but was then released upon there being nothing but a blond fit of rage and something to do with finances. _

_Jade was furious, but knew that it was the way it must be. For now, Jaden would have to tough it out. But he never smiled around his father ever again, unless someone who wasn't aware was there. _

_There was a darkness, a darkness that did not know its source. _

* * *

><p><em><span>Well there you have it. I am so sorry about the lateness, I caught the flu and have exams coming up. But I hope that you all have great festivalsholidays. I wish you all well. _

_May your souls remain in your hearts, _

_AspieWriter_


	25. Twisting Pain

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

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><p>Chapter 25<p>

Twisting Pain

Alexis usually felt at peace with her fluffed up, feathered, silk covered pillows. But they could not provide her comfort tonight and that was the reason for the tossing and turning that she could not stop.

Jaden could feel her but knew there was nothing he could do about it. He tried to shut her out, but no-one could once the creaming began.

Jesse bolted into the room, Esmerelda already there. She was trying to retrain Alexis, but was gaining much damage to her own skin just for the attempt.

"Do you need some help?" Jesse smirked.

Esmerelda blew a sweaty strand of hair out of her face and grinned at him. "No, I've got it. I just need to get something to hold her. Can you get the duct tape out of my handbag?"

"Sure," but then he paused. "Why do you have duct tape in your handbag?"

She laughed. "Jesse, relax. I just use it when I need it and I don't usually use it on people unless there is a serious emergency. My job description just needs more insurance for the amount of damage that I cause."

"What's the job?"

"Soul stuff, dead stuff, that kind of thing."

"Ah, right, I got ya. Right, you need duct tape."

"That was the idea of me asking you for it. And can you go and check in on Jaden? I don't want him to come bolting in and trying to make the situation worse."

"He won't, he knows the drill. It's not like he's a stranger to all this."

Jesse left after giving the duct tape to Esmerelda. The entire conversation having been done over Alexis's screams.

Jaden was lying there with the pillow attempting to smother him. He tried to block the screaming, but Alexis was in such pain that it was spreading through his own body.

"You okay?" Jesse asked from the doorway.

"Do I look it?" Jaden felt so glum, pulling the pillow away from his face and glaring at Jesse.

Jesse grinned. "Relax, this is normal. She'll get over it, think of it as growing pains. Like my mama always used to say, the gift always comes at a price."

"Really Jesse, I don't think that 'gift' is a word that I would use. Besides, did you know that that is the German word for poison?"

"Nope."

"Well it is."

"Doesn't mean that I will stop using it. A little bit of poison never hurt anybody."

"That makes no sense."

"No, you being cooped up in bed all day makes no sense. It's daytime, why aren't you up yet?"

"Cause I don't feel like it, that's why!"

"You hate not doing anything! You hate being cooped up! Why are you still being cooped up?"

"Jesse, it's six thirty in the morning."

"Yeah, but that's early for you. You only pretend to be asleep so that there is a lack of you in lessons because you hate the crowds. You never were one for enclosed spaces."

"If this is about my dad, I want to stop you there."

"What's the deal with the regular talk?"

"Alexis is linked with me. I really must rest, I am sorry Jesse."

"Yeah, whatever. Check on ya later partner."

"Yeah. Later," Jaden sunk back into the pillows.

Jesse shook his head as he went back to check on Esmerelda. She had managed to tie Alexis to the bed and the screaming had died down.

"You know," Esmerelda whispered, staring down at the blonde who lay so still on the bed. It was like she was a corpse now. "I sometimes wish that someone else would take the burden. I was really starting to like Alexis."

Jesse smiled. "Why, did she scratch your face or something?"

"No, she didn't. But she has been so nice to Jaden and the way she is going at the moment does not seem good for her. Her chances may be slim."

"Esmerelda, that's crazy."

"Is it? Have a look at her eyes. Come on, come over here."

Jesse walked over to the bed, feeling slightly nervous. Esmerelda pulled back Alexis's eyelids and revealed something that made Jesse fall back to the floor in horror.

Alexis's eyes were red, with a black tar like substance quickly filling them.

"Can't you do something to stop it?" Jesse was in panic.

Esmerelda shook her head. "Her body has to fight it. I can do nothing to stop it."

"Jaden is going to be heartbroken."

"What makes you say that?"

Both Jesse and Esmerelda jumped and turned to the door, where Jaden stood watching them. He looked to each of them and then to Alexis and smiled.

"So, it was soon that she was going to go through it," he said.

Esmerelda stuttered. "Yes, but there seems to be a problem… she… umm."

Jaden laughed. "I can see that there is some confusion. Did no-one tell you what happens during the change?"

She shook her head. "Just that Alexis would gain her powers and become bedridden for a few days."

"Wow, they really left things out."

"Why? Did they tell you?"

"They didn't, my mother did. My father thought that it was a load of rubbish and forbade me to speak of it, but my mother said that it was something I needed to prepare for. She said that the rest of the People of the Flamed Phoenix would refer from telling me because they feared that it would cause me great worry."

"I guess that we can say that was poor planning on their part then. I'm worried now because I did not know what was going to happen."

"I know, but you mustn't. You need to relax because Alexis is going to be fine. This is just the Darkness that is entering her body and filling her with power. There is nothing even remotely frightening about it. Just let the Darkness do its work."

"Yeah, but what if she doesn't accept the change?"

"You mean mentally or…?"

"The other side."

"Oh! That is something no-one really knows for sure, even when it looks like the body is accepting the change. There is no test to see if a person can accept it. It has to be looked for after three days of lying in wait."

"I don't understand."

"Wait for three days and then have a look at her heartbeat. I'm sure that she'll be fine, but you can ask me to remove the Darkness if you are not sure."

"Why don't you remove after then?"

"I can't remove then because it will have already filled the body, if I remove then then she will certainly die. No questions asked."

"Then it has to be a quick decision."

"Yes, I am afraid so."

"Then we will have to see if Alexis is as strong as we think she is."

Jaden smiled and turned to leave but Jesse stopped him. "You said that Alexis was linked with you, what does that mean?"

Jaden faced him. "Exactly that. It's as though her blood and her thoughts are my own. I cannot stop it. I can only hope that she will prevail."

"Does that mean that if she dies, we lose you too?"

Jaden nodded. "It is nature's way of letting only the strong survive."

That being said, Jaden left the room.

* * *

><p><em><span>A little hurried, but a taster of what's coming up next chapter. I hope that you all enjoyed it.<span>_

_Please review._

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	26. Forgotten Memories

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

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><p>Chapter 26<p>

Forgotten Memories

Jaden looked at the one who was so linked to him. It saddened him that it had to be so, but he pleasured in the thought that it brought new possibilities and would all be over soon. He could not tell when and how, but he knew it was soon.

He looked at Alexis clearly this time and saw that she was enveloped in Darkness. Jaden smiled and closed his eyes, concentrating.

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><p><em>He opened his eyes to find himself in a dark room, with Alexis looking around confused and scared. Jaden cocked his head and went over to her. <em>

"_What's wrong Alexis?"_

_She looked up and it was clear that she had been here almost the whole time she was asleep. She had been crying and her appearance was dishevelled. "I… I'm scared and I-I… I can't get out of here."_

_Jaden smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, there is plenty for you to discover here and there is no reason to come out just yet."_

"_Wha- what do you mean?" Alexis hiccupped. _

_Jaden sat next to her and gestured around the room. "Do you know where we are?"_

_Alexis shook her head. _

"_We are in your memories and you are going to be the one to guide us around them."_

_Alexis was confused. "But this is just an imaginary room."_

_Jaden shook his head. "This is just a forgotten room; one that stems from a childhood fear. It is the starting point, in order to continue you must remember."_

_Alexis shook her head. "I don't know what to remember. What should I remember?"_

"_What it is that frightens you about this room?"_

"_I don't know. I don't remember this room!"_

_Jaden smiled calmly. "Try."_

_Alexis closed her eyes and open them to see the door open. A little girl was being dragged in and it surprised Alexis to notice the little girl as her at a younger age. _

"_I don't want to go!" she had screamed. _

_The man that was dragging her continued to do so and ignored her. _

"_I want my mummy and daddy! I don't want to go!"_

_Jaden was looking at the older version, a confused expression on his face. _

"_It was when I was little," explained Alexis. "I must have been seven? Eight? These men had dragged me into the back of a van and then locked me in this room."_

"_Why did they take you?"_

"_They wanted something from my dad and I was the bait that they had used. It was all so confusing but I think that it was money. I tried to get away but they kept putting me back in here."_

"_How did you get away in the end then?"_

"_I looked around the room and found and nail and used it to pick the lock and escape again. They didn't see anything and I managed to find the police."_

_Jaden suddenly stood up and took her hand. "Where is the nail?"_

_Alexis pointed to the corner next to the door. "Over there, somewhere."_

_Jaden nodded and took her to where she was pointing. "You should look for it and remember that there is nothing to be scared of here. This is a memory, not a real life situation. You will need to relive the worst of experiences in order for you to break free."_

"_Why?" _

_Jaden shrugged. "I guess there is something in memories that make us stronger."_

_Alexis nodded and searched for the nail, picking it up when she found it. When she looked p, she had found that the room had dissolved and there was nothing but a luxurious garden. _

_Jaden was smiling. "This is the next part that you need to relive. It is one where you are taken back to when you became your strongest and I don't mean physically."_

_Alexis nodded and tried to remember. Then she realised that this was her bedroom and she could have had any sort of memory here. _

_A girl was sitting on the bed, a teenage Alexis listening to tunes on her IPod. Her father had just come into the room and was waiting at her bedside. _

"_I have something to ask of you Alexis," he began. "And I think that it will not be something that you would like."_

_Alexis was confused but the older Alexis gasped._

"_This is the moment that I really remember because it always made me stronger as a person," she explained to a confused Jaden. "I relive this moment every day of my life, knowing that I had achieved independence this day. Even if it was for something so primitive."_

_Jaden smiled. "Independence is something that we can achieve very little of in today's modern world. To take control of your own life happens so rarely that I think that even standing up to a bully is a sign of independence, or just walking to the shops on your own."_

"_This moment was when I achieved it most though. My father was a proud man, but he knew me and respected my wishes. It was the day that he asked if I wanted the control that I needed."_

"_What was did this moment include?"_

"_I was waiting for him to tell me what the problem was and he said that there was a great problem. There was a boy who was awaiting my hand and I did not want to be with him, at all. I told my father that I refused the marriage and he was proud of me, saying that I had achieved great independence."_

"_Then we don't need to watch anymore of this."_

_When Alexis looked again, she saw that she was no longer in her room. She was now in white bare room, where Jaden was rubbing his arms as if in discomfort._

"_Where are we?" Alexis asked. _

"_We are in the room where you will complete your greatest battles."_

_Now Alexis was really confused. "What on earth?"_

_Jaden smiled. "This is the Light room Alexis. The Light is one of our greatest enemies."_

"_Then what's it doing in my head?"_

"_Did I say that we were in your mind right now? The journey focuses on more than what is inside the mind. We have to explore our senses so that we can readjust to the real world."_

"_So, what do I do here?"_

"_That will come in time, right now your opponent is here and I am afraid that I cannot stay..."_

_Jaden faded from site, literally faded. There was not a sign of him, but he had smiled before he had disappeared. To make it even more unnerving it was a 'good luck, I'm sure that you will survive' kind of smile. _

_Alexis turned to see who the opponent was and at first she could not help but burst out laughing. _

"_All right, I am the Light kid and I am going to kick your behind!"_

_It was a younger Alexis, she could not been more than eight at this time. But there was something different about her and Alexis immediately stopped laughing upon realisation. _

_What was she to do with an innocent, naïve kid?_

_The first answer, though obvious, was disregarded. She could not kill a child, maybe she should send it on a time out? But there was a reason that this child was picked to be her enemy and her opponent. _

_The child held no weapons and Alexis could see none in the room. She just stood there smiling at Alexis. It was a hard, cold smile that made Alexis shiver. There was no happiness about it. _

_Suddenly, the child moved towards Alexis and grabbed her in a confining embrace._

"_I know that you think that I am just a child, but the truth is anything but good."_

_Alexis tried to struggle out of the embrace, but the child's hold was too good. "I want you to let go."_

_The child smiled. "I won't do that."_

"_Why not?" _

"_Because you need to understand in order to find forgiveness and I can't let you do that. I can't let you have your full powers."_

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><p>Jaden opened his eyes and looked at Alexis. He stroked her quivering brows, which were now sheened with sweat. Alexis tried to settle, but she now struggled in her comatose sleep.<p>

Esmerelda appeared at the door. "How long?"

Jaden smiled. "She was doing well; I think that she will be okay."

Jesse came over to him; he had been standing by the door since Jaden had appeared in Alexis's dreams. "Do you know how long it will be until they show up?"

Jaden shook his head. "It will depend entirely on her."

Esmerelda looked over Alexis with quick eyes. "What are you going to do if she struggles?"

Jesse gasped. "You mean like she is now?"

Alexis had started to thrash, but Jaden remained calm and put a hand on her arm to calm her. "I think that she will be fine. We just need to have patience."

Jesse and Esmerelda nodded and left the room.

Jaden faced Alexis again and stroked her hair. "I want you to know that I have faith in you Alexis and I know that you can beat this."

Alexis groaned in pain as an answer.

* * *

><p><em><span>I hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know what I can do in the next chapter to make it better. Your ideas make me a better writer after all. <span>_

_Please, please, please review. I really want those reviews, even if it is one to make a comment about what you didn't like, though you have to point out how I can make it better too though otherwise it's a flame and we don't want flamers. _

_For those of you that don't know, there is a petition going on that will help us tackle the on-going dilemma with fanfiction which means that they have been taking stories off of the site, permanently. We cannot allow this, it is unfair. _

_I will not place the letter in my fanfics, but I will give you the address of the petition. _

_ petitions/fanfiction-net-stop-the-destruction-of-fanfiction-net_

_I hope that this is something that you will sign as it is a brilliant cause. _

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter _

_(Sorry, fanfiction won't allow me to put the true site address, I hope that this helps though.)_


	27. Innocence Can Be a Sin

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

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><p>Chapter 27<p>

Innocence Can Be a Sin

_The little girl grinned at Alexis as she held onto her tightly. Alexis tried to throw her off, becoming more frightened and able to see through the girl's façade._

_This was no little girl, this was a monster. _

_Alexis tugged and pulled, but the monster would not come off. _

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><p>Jaden looked at the monitor that had been hooked to Alexis. It was obvious that the torment had begun.<p>

* * *

><p><em>The monster laughed as she was finally thrown at the wall. <em>

"_Oh, that was a good one," she said as she brushed herself off. "I wonder what we will play next."_

_Alexis gaped at her, but grabbed at the pole that had just appeared, out of nowhere, on the ground. It would make a good bat to bash the monster away. _

* * *

><p>"So it begins," whispered Jaden, as he stroked Alexis's hair.<p>

Alexis frowned, then flinched. It was then that small teeth-like bruises started to appear on her arms. When one appeared on her collar-bone, she started to thrash violently.

* * *

><p>"<em>Oh come on!" Alexis held up her hands in disbelief. <em>

_The monster now held a sword in her hand and was waving it around elegantly, like she had experience. Alexis licked her lips and then poised with her pole, like a batsman on the field._

* * *

><p>"I wish that I could help you Lex," whispered Jaden. "But the Light room in reserved for two people at a time. I cannot enter, nor do I really want to, when there is a battle taking place."<p>

"Most would call you a coward for that," said Esmerelda. "But we know better. The Light room is not a place for those who have already passed the tests," she shuddered, as though the thought of even speaking of the room repulsed her.

Jesse nodded in agreement. "I have never been in, I was never part of the People, but I have heard of it. It's supposed to be really weird when you enter it. Like paranoia."

Esmerelda frowned. "I know what you mean. It seems to be a part of you, but it isn't. It's in the mind, but not part of the mind. Your own doubts, the ones that want to stick more than anything. Out of reach of any happiness and goodness."

Jaden smiled. "I think that you may be looking into this too much. Alexis needs to realise this too. There is a way to beat the Light room, but you need to look deep within yourself. You need to realise that they are nothing like you, that they never will be you."

* * *

><p><em>Alexis jumped, once again, out of the way of the sword as it attempted to cleave her head into. Silently, she was wondering if she was as this terrible when she was a child. <em>

_It was then that the monster began its taunting. "You know that you were the little know-it-all. The little b**** who always wanted her own way. The fat, ugly, c** that was terrified of a few boys."_

_Alexis jumped out of the way of the sword as it came at her again and again. She tried to block out the cruel words as they came at her like the sword thrusts and slowly got worse. _

"_Jaden!" she screamed. _

* * *

><p>Jaden felt the twinge in his mind. "Alexis is calling out to me."<p>

Jesse shook his head. "She won't survive long if she just relies on you to solve everything. You can only guide her so far."

Esmerelda nodded in agreement. "I have been to the Light room myself and I screamed for my father as I was fighting my fear, but he did not come for me and I knew that I would have to rise up. But that was in the first hour, not two hours later."

Jaden, however, smiled. "Exactly. Alexis tried to fend her fears off by herself. This is progress."

* * *

><p><em>Alexis tried to run from the room. She had long realised that she was on her own in this, it had just taken her too long to admit it. <em>

_She tried hitting the monster again, but the monster just laughed with each blow and Alexis could feel ever smack against the monster's skin._

_This brought a realisation. _

"_You are me, but you are not me," Alexis whispered. _

_The monster looked at her confused. _

"_You will always be within me," Alexis continued. "But you don't really exist. You are the paranoia. What happened to Atti was not my fault and I need to accept this. I understand now."_

_The monster rolled her eyes. _

_But Alexis was now excited. "What happened all those years ago. Ever since I was born. I have been seeing the world through the wrong eyes. I need to understand. Understand that there is so little as to what is seen. Understand that there is much more by what we know and what we experience."_

_Alexis looked at the little monster and grinned. "And I understand that violence and cruelty can be found in even the youngest of children. The only difference is how we react to it. And all you need right now is not a reaction, but an ignorance."_

_With that, Alexis turned and left the room._

* * *

><p>Alexis opened her eyes to see a smiling Jaden, Jesse and Esmerelda, all staring down at her.<p>

"Hah!" Esmerelda suddenly exclaimed. Jaden and Alexis looked at her like she had gone mad, but Esmerelda only had eyes for Jesse. "I knew that she would survive. You owe me ten bucks!"

Jesse's face went from shock to disbelief. "I was the one who made that bet. You were the one that said she would die."

Esmerelda pouted. "Darn, I thought that you would forget. Ah well, it's only ten bucks. Not like I went with the original plan of $50."

Jaden shook his head. "I can't believe you made a bet on whether Alexis would survive. I thought that you would want her to live.

Esmerelda laughed. "Jaden, you know that I think betting makes light of every subject. Besides, I considered the act of faith and her feelings, I didn't ask for $50."

Alexis giggled while Jaden shook his head again. Jesse took the $10 from Esmerelda and kissed it in exaggeration. He hadn't wanted to bet Alexis's life in the first place and had only done it to shut her up, but it was all good in the end. He won.

Just like they had all won in the end.

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><p><em><span>I hope that you enjoyed this as much as I did writing it. I love the new features of fanfiction, they make writing reviews so much easier. <span>_

_Speaking of, please review. _

_I mean it, please review._

_A formal apology has been included to any readers of Dark Knight. _

_May your souls remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	28. Powers and Forgiveness Restored

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

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><p>Chapter 28<p>

Powers and Forgiveness Restored

Alexis was getting better from the trauma of her powers building. At first people would think it a joke, what with her being bedridden for several days and the slow increase of her nausea, but there a silent gleam to her eyes that just told you she was on her way to recovery.

At first, Jaden wanted her to have her rest, but then he became insistent on her training. It was rather odd, everyone thought that he would be the least likely to become a teacher of psychic powers and energies, but Alexis was trained by him in the art of magic and working with spirits.

After a few months of training, Jaden took her to the lake where they experimented with the elements and created mini waves in the surface of the water, taking care not to disturb the balance of things and not to disrupt the wildlife.

"Hey Jaden," said Alexis, splashing her feet in the water. "When are you going to duel my brother? I thought that he would have dueled you by now."

"He has," Jaden nodded. "But he lost and I had to bring him to the hospital. I would have told you but there was a problem."

A little angry she wasn't told, Alexis frowned. "What was it?"

"He woke up and said that he didn't want to see you. I tried to convince him otherwise, but he said that he was ashamed of what he had done and then he left the hospital. I think he's hiding at Duel Academy, but I can't be sure. The darkness messed up his system."

"So the signature would be bad," Alexis nodded. "Well, we can always try together."

Jaden shook his head. "It has nothing to do with strength Alexis; reading signatures is a power that even someone who is weak can do. It has to do with focus and determination, but it also has to do with the signature that you are looking for."

"Like the life signatures we did?"

"No, this is a humanity signature and those are quite fickle. As humans ourselves, we can be rather biased and quickly lose our focus. Humans' change constantly, but Atticus's signature would be changing repetitively and completely."

"Oh," Alexis nodded. "I see. Atticus would change too much and too often for you to place it; even with all your focus and power."

"Exactly," Jaden sighed and got up from where he was sitting, grabbing his towel from the ground to dry his wet hair. "I can tell you one thing though, a constantly changing signature may be harder to track down, but it is easier and I was right: Atticus is in the Nurse's Office."

"Miss Fontaine's?"

"Yeah, who else?" Jaden grinned. "Let us go and see him."

"Jaden," Alexis frowned.

"Pardon Alexis," Jaden bent his head down. "I know, I was doing so well but hold habits die hard."

"Just don't use that posh accent in front of my godfather," Alexis warned. "He might get the wrong idea about you."

As they were walking to the main building, Alexis was wondering something.

"Jaden, why did you just find out about my brother just now? Why didn't you keep searching for him sooner?"

Jaden chuckled. "Despite what people believe, I am far from superman. I had to train you, attend to my own matters and contact the Order of the Flamed Phoenix. I couldn't keep searching for your brother also. I put someone else on the case, but she was busy too."

"Who?"

"Oh, you don't know her. I didn't put Esmerelda on the case because she had to leave a few days after you woke up. She's gone to Australia, to train with the spirits there under an apprenticeship."

Alexis paused to think about this for a few minutes. "Will I ever have to leave Duel Academy and train with others?"

Jaden smiled sadly. "Unfortunately Alexis, you don't really finish your training ever. Once you become one of our own, your entire world turns to better understanding."

"Understanding?"

"Understand the world, how it works, what makes it. You have so much to learn, you have just barely begun."

Alexis shrugged. "I guess it's a good thing that I'm one of the top students at Duel Academy."

Jaden shook his head. "Schooling has little to do with the world. It actually holds back most who attended because it is full of biased points of view. socializing with others outside of school is how you can better understand society and that is something they can never teach you in school."

Alexis grinned. "I think that you would make a great teacher Jaden. You should ask Chancellor Shepard to resign as a student and become a professor of duelling techniques, or duelling history. You seem to teach me so much and you have already influenced the Slifers."

Jaden laughed out loud. "I can't become a teacher; I never stay awake or follow any of the rules. I would make an appalling teacher."

"Chumley and Syrus wouldn't think so."

Jaden shook his head, grinning madly. "No Alexis, I could never be a teacher. Besides, I think that Syrus and Chumley just need a confidence boost, not a lecture."

"Well, why don't we go and see them, after we visit Atticus, and see how they feel about taking private lessons from you."

Jaden sighed. "Alright, but I think that you'll change your mind. I'll humour you and go with you, but you have to see your brother first. He needs to talk to you."

"Yes he does," sighed Alexis. "But I won't be surprised if the first words that come out of his mouth are 'I'm sorry sissy'."

Jaden grinned again. "He calls you sissy?"

"Don't remind me."

Jaden smiled kindly. "In a way I envy you Alexis. It must be nice to have siblings. After I was born, my mother was forbidden by my father to have any more children. He thought that a curse would run through us if she had another child."

Alexis frowned. "I couldn't understand why she would want to be with him in the first place to be honest."

"He wasn't always so cruel," Jaden sighed. "He used to actually care for me and my mother."

Alexis, still frowning, nodded and then left Jaden to go into the room that they now stood in front of.

When she opened the door, she heard a voice. "Sissy?"

"Hey Atti," Alexis smiled.

* * *

><p><em><span>I am terribly sorry for the delay. Writing a book, being in college and trying to get into university really does take its toll. Do not worry though, I will continue to update until all my stories are finished. I am never one to abandon a story or a series. <span>_

_May your souls remain in your hearts, _

_AspieWriter_


	29. Recovery of the Darkness

_Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh GX_

Chapter 29

Recovery of the Darkness

Atticus could never get over how sorry he was for how things turned out. The first thing he did when Alexis and Jaden approached his bed was look down, too ashamed to even look at his sister.

"Atti?" Alexis tenderly approached the bed where Atticus ly.

"I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes," Jaden said from the door. "I need to go and contact someone anyway."

Now alone, the silence was deadening and uncomfortable.

"Atti, you can't sit there all day and not even look at me. I'm your sister; I know it wasn't really you who said all those things."

There were still silence and the avoidance of his sister's eyes until, "I can't believe I hit an abused child."

Alexis was confused; it was unlike Jaden to talk of his abuse. "Who are you talking about?"

"Don't tell me that you actually thought you were the only one who knew. I knew about Jaden Yuki long before you ever met him sis; I remember it like it was yesterday."

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><p><strong>Atticus was walking to clear his mind. His sister was at school and he had little to do while his own school broke off earlier than all the others in his area. Being a boarding student sometimes had its disadvantages. <strong>

**While he was he walking across the park, he suddenly little gasps of breath. At first he thought that someone was having an asthma attack, so he quickly went to investigate. But once he came upon a small boy, he realised it was a struggle for breath, but a struggle for tears. **

"**Hello?" the boy asked, trying to smile.**

**Atticus gulped and sat down. Tentatively, he placed his hand on the boy's knee, but quickly removed it when the boy gasped and clutched his knee in agony. **

"**I'm so sorry," Atticus held both his hands out in surrender. "I didn't mean to, I mean, I didn't know."**

**The boy shook his head, tears fighting to emerge. "It's okay; I know you didn't mean to hurt me. To be honest, I forgot that I even hurt my leg." **

**This made Atticus pause for thought. "How could you forget that you hurt your leg?"**

**The boy looked at him, pondered something for a minute and then stood up. "My mummy won't like me talking to strangers. I'd better go now. Goodbye."**

**For some reason, Atticus felt that the boy was not telling the truth. Sure, no mother wants their child to talk to strangers, but the way his words flowed was almost like a speech rehearsal. There was no seriousness to his, just statemented. It was like a blow off that you spoke when you were done talking to someone. **

**Suspicious, Atticus followed the boy home. **

**When the boy finally got to his house, he looked around, sighed and then went to his door. On his third knock, the door slammed open, a hand reached out and grabbed him and the boy was dragged inside. It happened so fast that Atticus barely caught a glimpse of the hand that grabbed the boy. **

**Over the next week, Atticus kept an eye on the boy and finally realised why this little boy did not remember his injuries: he was always receiving new ones; Atticus knew he was becoming used to them. **

**It saddened Atticus to see this boy with bruises, cuts, burns and the occasional broken bone. But the boy turned down anyone who attempted to find a way to help him, claiming that it was better if they forgot about him. Something that Atticus could never do.**

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><p>"I knew that it was his dad, because he was always begging, 'dad, please stop!' I tried to help him, I really did, but he just pushed me away like everyone else. I don't know what was on that kid's mind, but his safety didn't always seem to be the front of it."<p>

"Atti, there was nothing you could do," Alexis soothed. "Jaden would never let anyone enough to stop what his father did you to him. He lived in the shadows for most of his life."

"I still feel bad."

"He doesn't."

"I know; when I first came round and said that I didn't want to see you, he told me that I was being ridiculous and that you would want to see me no matter what I did. He said that he had forgiven me so there was no reason for me to not forgive myself."

"You couldn't help what you did, so why are you still blaming yourself?"

"Why do you think, Alexis?" Jaden said from the doorway, where he appeared a minute ago. "He blames himself, not for what happened recently, but for what happened with my father."

"Is that true Atti?" Alexis turned to her brother, looking him straight in the eye. "Are you ashamed about not reporting the abuse that Jaden went through?"

Atticus looked away. "Wouldn't you be?" he mumbled.

Jaden smiled. "I wouldn't be ashamed. I don't want anyone to be ashamed. If anything, I should be ashamed. I never told anyone."

"But you were just a kid and you were scared."

"And you don't think that you were?"

"I was older than you were."

"Only by a few years, and age means nothing: my own mother was afraid for my life to ever report him. He threatened to kill me if she ever went to the police. He wanted my talents: without me, his perfect life would go out the window. But enough of the sad and bad, let's go outside; get some sun. Alexis, we need to go anyway."

Alexis nodded, knowing that he meant that he wanted to greet the winter in a traditional ritual of his people. He had talked about a few weeks before and she expressed the desire to attend.

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><p>The ritual was simple, with everyone dressed in white and blue and breaking bread and wine together. They greeted the nigh, with the moon full and enriching. They lit candles for their ancestors and guided the passages into the afterlife. Esmerelda retuned for the night and then left again after the candles had been blown out.<p>

"That was actually nicer than I had expected," said Alexis.

"Of course," Jaden smiled. "It was only small and not on a large scale. You should see the spring festival: that one's loud and exciting. It celebrates fertility and life; winter is about the death and the spirits moving on to the afterlife."

"The afterlife, Jaden?" Jesse asked. "I really wanted to know more about that."

Jaden shook his head, he had brought Jesse and the rest of the gang with them, but only Jesse wanted to remain for the overseeing of the ancestors. "Some questions cannot be answered, even when we think that we have the answers."

Alexis frowned. "I would have thought that we were allowed the answer the question of what happens when you die."

Jaden shook his head again. "Not unless you were dead. It might prove too tempting or too frightening to answer. We can only speculate. You can ask a spirit: but they won't tell you what happens when you die. They might even kill to protect that secret."

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><p><em>I really need to stop there. I need to take the time this weekend so that I can figure out where this story's going. <em>

_Points towards any tips anyone wants to give._

_May your soul remain in your hearts,_

_AspieWriter_


	30. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

The fanfiction, "Spiritual Bonds" is going under maintenance and vital editing after a review from myself and a realisation that there is a lack structure and consistency, along with some of the characters being too bland or over-exaggerated.

I will also be looking at my other fanfics "Dark Knights" to see whether it needs some severe editing, but, even with just the one fanfiction it is unlikely that any more chapters will be uploaded soon.

Thank you for the warm-hearted reviews and for waiting so loyally.

I promise that this is only to make your reading more enjoyable.

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><p>May your soul remain in your hearts,<p>

AspieWriter


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